Event: Grizzly Open
Game 1: No. 13 GGC 4 – No. 24 Rio Grande 1
Game 2: No. 13 GGC 9 – Brewton-Parker 6
Game 3: Sun., Feb. 12 – 1 p.m. | Rio Grande (Ohio) vs. #13 Georgia Gwinnett
Game 4: Sun., Feb. 12 – 4 p.m. | Brewton-Parker (Ga.) vs. #13 Georgia Gwinnett
Location: Grizzly Softball Complex, Lawrenceville, Ga.
Game Coverage: Live Video | Live Stats | Twitter
Media Information: 2017 GGC Softball Media Guide
The No. 13 Georgia Gwinnett softball team continued its Opening Weekend on Saturday as the Grizzlies swept day one's competition at the Grizzly Open.
In game one, GGC defeated No. 24 Rio Grande (Ohio) 4-1 and followed it up with a 9-6 slugfest victory against Brewton-Parker (Ga.).
"We added two more wins today off two excellent efforts by the team," said GGC head coach Kat Ihlenburg. "Chelsi [Palazzo] did a great job in game one against Rio Grande, picking up outs for us and almost a no-hitter. Our bats against Brewton-Parker supported Katie Jo [Goodwin] in game two and showed true grit when we fell behind. We learned even more about ourselves today and will continue to grow each game."
Against Rio Grande, starting pitcher Chelsi Palazzo carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, recording the first 19 outs without surrendering a hit. Her "no-no" was broken up by catcher Cheyenne Hamaker with a bloop double to left-center. Palazzo (1-0) surrendered just one run on two hits in her first start of 2017, striking out six of the 22 batters she faced.
GGC (4-0) grabbed a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first with three RBI-singles by designated player Anya Vandersip, first baseman Hailey Burnham, and second baseman Nikki Miller.
The Grizzlies plated an insurance run in the sixth on a wild pitch by Rio Grande's reliever Tiffany Bise to take the 4-0 lead. The Red Storm managed just one run in the top of the seventh as the Grizzlies' defense stifled a late-inning rally en route to the 4-1 win.
In the nightcap, Brewton-Parker jumped out to the 2-0 lead, but the Grizzlies responded with a four-run third to take the 4-2 advantage. Notably, Miller drove in three of her four RBIs of the day with a bases-clearing three-run double off the center field wall.
The Barons (2-2) mustered a run in the top of the fourth, but, once again, Georgia Gwinnett's offense responded with three runs to push its gap to 7-3. The Grizzlies capitalized on a throwing error as Palazzo used the extra chance, ripping a two-RBI single to left.
Brewton-Parker threatened again in the fifth with two runs, narrowing the gap to 7-5 in the Grizzlies' advantage. In their final at-bats of the game, Burnham and Palazzo came up clutch in the bottom of the sixth to start a GGC rally, plating two final runs in the contest. BPC narrowed the gap to 9-6, but reliever Taylor Hansis shut the Barons down, striking out the side to end the game with a 9-6 GGC victory.
Katie Jo Goodwin (2-0) collected her second win in just two days, tossing four innings for the Grizzlies. The right-handed Stockbridge native surrendered just five runs on five hits, while striking out one. BPC's Autumn Startling received the loss, giving up nine runs on nine hits.
Center fielder Nikki Cook had a dominant showing at the plate and in the field. The Buford native combined for a 5-for-6 effort at the plate, driving in one run while scoring on three occasions, and made two key defensive plays in the field, including an over-the-shoulder basket catch on the warning track against Brewton-Parker.
The Grizzlies are back in action on Sunday where they will face Rio Grande (Ohio) and Brewton-Parker (Ga.) at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., respectively.
GGC's final two games of its three-day Opening Weekend will be broadcasted live on the Grizzly Digital Network. Live statistics for each contest can be accessed on the Dakstats Live Statistics stream.
Tickets for Sunday'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. Season ticket packages are also on sale for all regular season contests. For more information on ticketing, click here. Free game day parking is available in the deck at the entrance to the GGC campus.
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