The No. 13 Georgia Gwinnett softball team completed its six-game weekend at the Reinhardt Invitational on Sunday, compiling a 5-1 record after sweeping Brescia (Ky.) and No. 16 Reinhardt (Ga.) in the final day of competition.
The Grizzlies (13-3) defeated Brescia 12-3 in game one and finished their action-packed weekend with a 7-5 showing against No. 16 Reinhardt.
"The team made some good adjustments today on the field," said GGC head coach Kat Ihlenburg. "Sydney [Willhite], Anya [Vandersip], and RaeQuinn [Rossetti] had strong hitting performances to catapult the team to a win against Reinhardt as well. In her first start as a Grizzly, Alexis [Eisenberg] had a strong outing against Brescia and showed the growth we hope to see all season."
In game one, the No. 13 Grizzlies defeated Brescia 12-3 behind a 2-for-3, four-RBI performance by shortstop Brashante Dareus, including a two-run home run, and a 2-for-3, two-RBI showing by center fielder Niki Cook.
Freshman Alexis Eisenberg picked up her first collegiate victory in the 12-3 five inning, run-rule win. The Pelham, Ala., native surrendered just three runs, two earned, on three hits in four innings of work. Brescia's Brooke Whipple was credited with the loss, giving up 12 earned run on 13 hits.
Georgia Gwinnett and Brescia traded runs in the first inning to put the contest at 1-1. In the second, the Grizzlies rallied behind a two-run triple by Cook, an RBI-single by Dareus, and a Bearcat wild pitch to take a four-run, 5-1, lead.
After a scoreless third, Georgia Gwinnett's offense provided a five-run fourth inning to garner a 10-1 lead. First baseman Hailey Burnham, who went 3-for-4 in the contest, drove in the first run of the inning with an infield chopper. Three pitches later, third baseman Sydney Willhite lifted an RBI-single to right to increase GGC's lead to 7-1. A Brescia fielding error gave the Grizzlies an 8-1 advantage while a two-run single to left by catcher Ashley Neal pushed GGC's gap to 10-1.
Later, Whipple provided the Bearcats its first runs since the first inning, connecting for a two-run home run over the right field fence, cutting Georgia Gwinnett's lead to seven, 10-3.
In the top of the fifth, GGC regained its nine-run advantage as Dareus rocketed her second home run of 2017 over the center field fence. The two-run shot cemented the Grizzlies' 12-3, run-rule victory.
During their meeting with No. 16 Reinhardt in game two, the Grizzlies led 5-0 heading into the fifth inning, but a five-run rally in the bottom of the inning by the Eagles tied the game at 5-5. GGC would respond with two runs in the seventh to take the 7-5 victory over its in-state rival.
The Grizzlies' 5-0 lead was built over the first three innings of play. In the top of the first, Burnham made it 1-0 with an RBI-single. An inning later, the Grizzlies pushed three runs across the plate, increasing their lead to 4-0. Cook drove in the first run of the inning with an RBI-single to center. After left fielder Aubree Cox reached on an infield single, right fielder RaeQuinn Rossetti slapped a two-run double down the left field line, giving GGC the 4-0 advantage.
In the top of the third, Willhite made it 5-0, lifting her second home run of the season over the left-center fence.
Reinhardt (9-5) scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 5-5. The Eagles took advantage of a Grizzly fielding to score its first two runs, making it 5-2. Three batters later, Reinhardt cut the lead to 5-4 with a two-run double to left by Carleigh Myatt. The Eagles then tied the game at 5-5 on an RBI-single by Hannah McKinley.
Still tied at 5-5 heading into the seventh, the Grizzlies rallied behind an RBI-single by Willhite and an RBI-double by Vandersip to take a 7-5 lead.
Reliever Taylor Hansis worked through a scoreless seventh, shutting down the Eagles to capture GGC's second win of the day.
Next, the Grizzlies will hit the road to Gulf Shores, Ala., to compete in the Gulf Shores Invitational, hosted by the University of Mobile (Ala.), March 3-5. During the tournament, the Grizzlies will face Brenau (Ga.) and Coastal Georgia on Friday, March 3 and Missouri Baptist on Saturday, March 4. The first three games' results will determine if the Grizzlies will move on in tournament play on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
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