April 7, 2015
Katie Lange's turn to impress on Tuesday afternoon as the junior tossed a complete game shutout and helped the Grizzlies to yet another doubleheader sweep, this time over visiting Point at Grizzly Softball Complex.
With the wins, which were by scores of 3-0 and 12-4, the Grizzlies improved to 26-12 on the year, and Point dropped to 18-24. GGC is now a perfect 18-0 at home this season and has gone more than a calendar year since its last regular season loss at Grizzly Softball Complex.
"The team has really embraced the opportunity to defend our home field," GGC Head Coach Kat Ihlenburg said. "Coming out and playing well at home is something that they look forward to, and with the loss to Point earlier this season, the team really felt like it had something to prove today."
Lange, a junior out of Altamont, Ill., put in one of her best performances on the season, allowing just three hits and issuing one walk en route to picking up her third career shutout. She moved to 7-5 on the season.
"Katie showed a lot of grit today, and it was nice to see her have such a strong performance," Ihlenburg said. "This was a team that she lost to earlier this season, and she was able to come in and shut them down today. They really didn't get any solid hits off of her all game long."
The opening game was very much a pitcher's duel throughout as a Jordan Fones RBI single represented the game's lone score until Haley Thompson finally established some breathing room in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run blast over the fence in left.
Thompson finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of scores, and both Fones and Alyssa Hathcoat enjoyed two-hit outings as well.
In the day's second game, GGC's offense opened up with 13 hits to pick up the run-rule-shortened five-inning victory over the visitors from West Point, Ga. Abby Hulsey led the assault in the game, ending 3-for-4, and Alycia Fields was 2-for-2 with a home run and a pair of walks. Both players scored twice and knocked in two more, and in all, eight Grizzlies registered at least one hit in the game.
Ashley Beyke picked up the complete game win to move to 9-4 on the year, finishing the day with four earned runs on six hits.
GGC got things going quickly as Cassidy Littlefield led off the game with a double to right center before later scoring on a Hulsey single through the left side of the infield. Fields followed up moments later with her third homer of the season, and a Hathcoat bases-loaded walk later in the frame gave the Grizzlies the early 4-0 advantage.
With two homers over the course of the day, the Green and Gray further added to their single-season school record of 23 this year.
After surrendering a pair of scores in the top of the third, an error ultimately came back to haunt Point as GGC racked up six runs on five hits in the bottom of the frame to take a commanding 10-2 lead. All but one of the runs scored with two outs.
The two sides would swap scores in both the fourth and fifth innings as the game ended when Hathcoat scored on a wild pitch with two outs left in the fifth.
GGC will return to action on Saturday with a trip to Hiwassee for another doubleheader, and it marks the final road trip of the regular season for the Grizzlies as they will close out the year with 12 consecutive home games before going on to host the A.I.I. Championship tournament later this month.
###
