The No. 21 Georgia Gwinnett softball team wrapped up its run into the Gulf Shores Invitational Saturday afternoon, splitting its final two games with Campbellsville (Ky.) and Houston-Victoria (Texas).
The Grizzlies (20-6) dropped their morning contest against No. 8 Campbellsville, 7-4, and finished the day with a 2-0 shutout victory, behind the dominant pitching performance of senior Ashley Beyke, over Houston-Victoria, which is receiving votes nationally.
"We played some of the top teams in the country, and we learned a lot about our team," stated GGC head coach Kat Ihlenburg. "We will continue to work on consistency and making adjustments throughout the season."
Georgia Gwinnett took a 3-0 lead in the opening inning of game one against Campbellsville. The Tigers scratched back into the lead in the top of the third, plating five runs for the two-run, 5-3 lead. While the Grizzlies cut Campbellsville's advantage to one run, 5-4, in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI-single by Alycia Fields, the Tigers regained their two-run gap in the top of the fifth and plated an insurance run in the seventh en route to the 7-4 victory over GGC.
The victory in game two was fueled by a complete-game shutout pitching performance by Beyke. Picking up her eighth victory of 2016, Beyke struck out three batters while surrendering four hits. Beyke's eight wins place her fifth overall in the NAIA.
Georgia Gwinnett did all of its offensive damage in the fourth and fifth innings of play. Third baseman Kodi Ricketson led off the fourth inning with a double to deep center and then came around to score on an RBI-single by second baseman Haley Thompson. An inning later, the Grizzlies would plate their final run of the game on back-to-back doubles by Mary Burk and Tori Heinemann.
The Grizzlies return to action on Wednesday when they host Southern Wesleyan (S.C.) in doubleheader action. First pitch from the Grizzly Softball Complex is set for 4:00 p.m. Game two will start approximately thirty minutes after the conclusion of game one.
Tickets for Wednesday's action are $5 for adults, $3 for youth, seniors, and military, and free for children under five. All members of the GGC community receive free admission with their Claw Card. For more information on ticketing, click here. Free game day parking is available in the deck at the entrance to the GGC campus.
Game Day Central
Live Video:
http://portal.stretchinternet.com/ggc/
Live stats links:
Game 1: http://bit.ly/1UJ6BMk
Game 2: http://bit.ly/1TA2oeJ
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