Box Score

LAWRENCEVILLE - It was an afternoon that won't soon be forgotten for five seniors at Grizzly Softball Complex on Saturday as each played a part in a Senior Day sweep of visiting Talladega en route to maintaining Georgia Gwinnett's perfect home record this season.

The day started with a ceremony recognizing the contributions of the quintet, and it continued into the first game of the doubleheader as senior hitters Savanna Berkhiser, Brittany Bruns, Jordyn Fones and Cassidy Littlefield each registered a hit and senior hurler Kayla Byrom tossed a complete game shutout to lead the Grizzlies to an 8-0 victory.

"I'm so proud of those seniors today, with each of them getting a hit and contributing on defense," GGC Head Coach Kat Ihlenburg said. "And then in the circle, with Kayla pitching a complete game shutout. It was just an outstanding performance all the way around."

The Grizzlies would face a closer test in the day's second game as the team held on for a 4-2 decision to move to 24-12 on the season and a perfect 16-0 in Lawrenceville. Talladega dropped to 9-18.

Littlefield made the most of her first at-bat of the day, leading off the opening stanza with a triple and then scoring on an Abby Hulsey sacrifice fly to draw first blood. The Slocomb, Ala., native ended 2-for-4 in both games on the day, scoring three times and stealing a pair of bases.

If any player took some shine away from the Grizzly senior class, it was Hulsey, who put together a career outing in the day's first game, finishing 2-for-3 with two scores and five runs batted in, including a fifth-inning solo home run over the fence in left.

"Abby was just on fire today, especially in the first game," Ihlenburg said. "She really set the tone for the offense every time she stepped up. No matter what situation she was facing at the plate, she was ready to hit, and that's what you want from a leader as a junior who plays at a critical position like shortstop."

Back-to-back doubles from Hulsey and Tori Heinemann plated two more runs for GGC in the third, and Fones brought another home with a single later in the frame to make it 4-0.

Fones ended 3-for-3 in the first game and carried it over into the second, finishing the day 5-for-5 with a pair of runs batted in.

A Berkhiser single and Bruns triple got things started again in the sixth. Heinemann would triple in the frame as well before a would-be Hulsey groundout resulted in two more runs to bring the game to an early end via the run rule.

Byrom allowed six hits and struck out four in the contest and moved to 8-3 on the season. It was the second victory that the Statham native picked up in as many days as she was aiming to bounce back in her return to Grizzly Softball Complex.

"Kayla's a very strong pitcher for us, and she's just a competitor out there," Ihlenburg said. "I've known that for a long time. When the game's on the line, she's one of the kids in which I'm going to rely. It was nice to see her pick up a couple wins this weekend."

A first-inning Alycia Fields triple handed GGC an early 1-0 lead in the day's second game, and singles from Mary Burk and Fones resulted in three more runs over the ensuing two frames, but the task would prove more difficult for the Green and Gray this time around as the Tornadoes loaded the bases in the top of the fourth.

Two hits and a fielder's choice off of GGC starter Katie Lange put her in the unenviable position of trying to work out of a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the frame. The Altamont, Ill., native was able to get back on track quickly, however, inducing three consecutive groundballs, and even assisting on the last two plays to keep the visitors off the scoreboard.

She would not be as fortunate in the sixth as she conceded a pair of scores before Ashley Beyke came in to record the game's final six outs and preserve the home unbeaten streak. The save was the first of the season for Beyke, and Lange's outing improved her record to 6-5 as she ended with seven hits allowed and struck out four over five-plus innings of work.

GGC will return to action on Tuesday as the team will play host to Point for another doubleheader at Grizzly Softball Complex.

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