The No. 21 Georgia Gwinnett softball team bounced back into the winning column on Wednesday afternoon, sweeping Middle Georgia State in doubleheader action.
The Grizzlies, who were swept by Illinois Wesleyan just a day ago, responded with a convincing 8-4 win in game one and shut out the Lady Knights in game two with an 11-0 win.
"The team pulled together after two tough losses yesterday and showed that we are still a tough team," stated GGC head coach Kat Ihlenburg.
Game one's starting pitcher Ashley Beyke went four innings, picking up her ninth victory of the season. The Franklin, Tenn., native allowed three runs, one unearned, on six hits while striking out three. Senior Katie Lange recorded the save, going three innings of relief, allowing one run on four hits.
In game two, junior Katie Jo Goodwin pitched a complete game, five innings, in the Grizzlies' 11-0 run-rule victory over Middle Georgia in game two, surrendering just four hits while striking out three. The right-handed hurler took just 51 pitches to work through the 19 batters she faced.
Ihlenburg continued, "Katie Jo threw a great game and really helped seal the sweep with the shutout. We saw a lot of positive things with our offense being able to fire on all cylinders and get a lot of hits today. It should help us carry through the rest of March."
Georgia Gwinnett plated two or more runs in each of the four innings in which it hit. Like game one of the doubleheader, the Grizzlies did their most damage in the first inning of play, scoring four runs. GGC continued its offensive assault, scoring three runs in the second, and two in both the third and fourth.
Senior second baseman Haley Thompson, who was named the Grizzly of the Day, went 4-for-5 on the day, driving in four runs while scoring twice. Catcher Brashante Dareus also had a big day for the Grizzlies, going 4-for-7 with four RBIs and three runs scored. Notably, Dareus went 3-for-3 in game two.
The Grizzlies return to action on Saturday when they travel to Dayton, Tenn., to face Bryan in doubleheader action. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m. with game two beginning approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.
Game Day Central
Pregame Coverage and Live Video Provided by the Grizzly Digital Network:
http://portal.stretchinternet.com/ggc/
Live stats links:
Game 1: http://bit.ly/1S58obK
Game 2: http://bit.ly/1VdVsTR
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