The No. 9 Georgia Gwinnett softball team dropped two close games to No. 2 Auburn-Montgomery on Wednesday night as the Grizzlies (35-15) fell in game one 5-2 and were edged in game two with a 4-3 walk-off victory in favor of the Warhawks.
"I thought we played really well for going two weeks without games and then jumping in to face the No. 2 team in the country," stated GGC head coach Kat Ihlenburg. "We wish we had a different outcome because we competed very well. Overall, the team feels really good about the upcoming A.I.I. tournament, and we will keep getting better and work on hitting out peak in May."
In the opener, Georgia Gwinnett struck first, scoring the game's first run on an RBI-single to center by shortstop Elyssa Melton. Left fielder Alyssa Hathcoat led the game off with a triple to the right-center field gap before coming around to score on Melton's single.
AUM (44-5) pulled even with the Grizzlies in the bottom of the frame, tying the game with a chopper to short by first baseman Sydney Dishman. The Warhawks pushed their advantage to 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI-single by designated player Kayla Hale and a two-run single to center by left fielder Hayden Henderson.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Warhawks scored their fifth and final run of game one on a Grizzly fielding error, giving AUM the 5-1 advantage.
GGC would narrow the gap to 5-2 in the top of the sixth with an RBI-single by Kodi Ricketson, but fell short in the comeback attempt as the second-ranked Warhawks took game one 5-2.
Georgia Gwinnett's starter Ashley Beyke (11-2) was credited with the loss, surrendering four runs on five hits in three and one-thirds innings of work. AUM's Taylor Powell (26-2) received the win, pitching a complete game. Powell gave up two runs on six hits while striking out seven Grizzlies.
In the night cap, the Grizzlies capitalized on two Warhawk errors in the top of the second to go up 3-0. With runners on first and second, Hathcoat hit a chopper to short that was misplayed by AUM's Jennifer Jenkins, allowing Mary Burk to score the first Grizzly run of the game. Seconds later, a wild throw on the relay by the AUM center fielder enabled Tori Heinemann to score, putting GGC ahead 2-0. GGC's final run of the inning came off Melton's third hit of the day as the shortstop lifted an RBI-single to shallow left for the 3-0 Georgia Gwinnett lead.
The Green and Gray held the 3-0 advantage until the bottom of the fifth when AUM tied the game at 3-3 with two RBI-singles by Hale and Amy Persinger and a GGC fielding error.
Heading into the bottom of the seventh with the score still knotted at 3-3, the Warhawks sent four batters to the plate to win the game in walk-off fashion. Jenkins led the inning off reaching on a walk and then moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Persinger. With two-outs in the inning, third baseman Rose Schmidt delivered the walk-off hit with a single to shallow right, handing the Warhawks the 4-3 victory.
Taylor Hansis (4-5) received the loss for GGC, surrendering AUM's walk-off hit and winning run. AUM's Rachel Ragland (17-1) was credited with the win, pitching a complete game for the Warhawks. Ragland gave up three unearned runs on seven hits while striking out four.
The Grizzlies return to action on Saturday when they travel to Elizabethton, Tenn., to face Milligan in doubleheader action. First pitch of the Grizzlies' regular season finale is set for 1:00 p.m. with game two starting approximately 30 minutes after the completion of game one.
Game Day Central
Live stats:
Game 1: http://bit.ly/20RjVzE
Game 2: http://bit.ly/20RjZ2u
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