A walk-off RBI double by Kodi Ricketson propelled the Georgia Gwinnett softball team to its 30th victory of the 2016 season and a doubleheader split with Talladega (Ala.) on Friday at the Grizzly Softball Complex.
The 4-3 walk-off win capped a back-and-forth day of action between the Grizzlies (30-12) and the Tornadoes as game one went the way of the visitors, 7-5.
Alyssa Hathcoat smacked four extra-base hits on the day to lead the GGC attack, racking up a triple and a double in each game.
Katie Jo Goodwin (4-4) and Taylor Hansis each went five-plus innings in getting the starts in the circle, while Ashley Beyke and Katie Lange (7-4) each appeared in relief.
"It was good to see us persevere and find a way to fight to win game two," said GGC head coach Kat Ihlenburg. "Alyssa and Katie (Lange) were definitely highlights for us today. Unfortunately our offense still needs to find a way to produce consistently, the way we know that we can."
The Grizzlies missed several chances in the opener, stranding nine runners on base and surrendering a pair of late runs to fall, 7-5.
The Grizzlies scored the first run of the game in the first inning, but then a five-run second by Talladega, keyed by a three-run double into the left field corner, made it 5-1.
Georgia Gwinnett bounced back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double from Mary Burk, then took advantage of a throwing error that extended the inning to score twice more to pull within one at 5-4.
The Grizzlies eventually tied the game, 5-5, on an RBI groundout in the fifth, but stranded the bases loaded in the frame with a chance to push ahead.
One inning later, Talladega (6-19) took advantage by scoring two runs on a bloop, RBI single and an RBI groundout for the 7-5 lead.
The Grizzlies put the first two aboard in the bottom of the sixth inning, but with one out and two runners in scoring position, Brashante Dareus' liner to second resulted in an inning-ending double play.
Once again in the bottom of the seventh, GGC threatened but could not draw even, leaving two more runners on second and third when making the final out of the contest.
Game two featured far less scoring throughout the early innings. With Hansis firing a gem in the circle, the Grizzlies held on to a 1-0 lead through much of the game after a first-inning sacrifice fly from Hailey Burnham.
Hansis would go 5.2 innings, not surrendering a hit until an infield single with two outs in the fourth. The freshman struck out five but would not factor into the decision as the Tornadoes got the bats going with a two-out rally in the sixth.
Talladega tied the game with a triple and an RBI single before a GGC fielding error continued the inning and allowed two more Tornadoes to score, making it 3-1 in favor of Talladega. Lange then entered in relief and struck out the final batter of the inning to limit the damage.
The Grizzlies trailed by the same 3-1 deficit heading into the bottom of the seventh, when a one-out rally sparked the victory. Tori Heinemann bunted for a single, then scored when Hathcoat tripled to the fence in right field. Dareus was then hit, putting runners on the corners, when Burnham lifted a ball into right field that was dropped to allow Hathcoat to come home and tie the game. With Dareus on third base, Ricketson then won the game with a shot into center field that fell for a hit.
The walk-off win improved the Grizzlies to 24-8 on their home field this season.
Hathcoat finished the two games 5-for-7 at the plate with three runs scored.
The Grizzlies now hit the road for much of the remainder of the regular season, beginning with a Tuesday trip to Truett-McConnell (Ga.) for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
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