The No. 11-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College softball team enjoyed a walk-off victory for the third time in eight games this season, sweeping a doubleheader against LSU Alexandria with 5-0 and 4-3 victories Friday afternoon at the Grizzly Softball Complex.

GGC (5-3) responded in the second game after LSU Alexandria (3-3) had taken a 3-2 advantage by scoring two runs in the top of the seventh inning. Bailey Layton squared the game at 2-2 with a two-out RBI single. One batter later, Bailey McCleary gave the visitors the 3-2 lead with a run-scoring to right-center field.

Sophomore Lani Trent delivered a two-run single through the right side of the infield with the bases loaded in the seventh inning to score freshmen Kayla Good and Angelica Gallegos for the come-from-behind victory.

The Grizzlies' late rally started when junior Brooke Parker opened the seventh inning with a single to right field. Another single from Gallegos was followed by a wild pitch that moved both baserunners into scoring position. Following a walk to senior Piper Wagner to fill the bases, Trent drilled her game-winning hit.

GGC also recorded walk-off wins against No. 23 Lindsey Wilson College (Kentucky) during last weekend's season-opening Grizzly Open.

In the first game, junior starting pitcher Alexa Good struck out eight batters in tossing her first shutout of the season. The right hander improved to 4-2 on the season and scattered four hits in the contest.

A passed ball allowed Wagner to score with two outs in the first inning. Sophomore Christina Zeppa added an RBI single later in the frame to give the hosts a 2-0 lead. Wagner later connected on her third home run of the season. This one was a towering two-run blast that contributed to a three-run third inning as the hosts built a 5-0 advantage.

Zeppa went 3-for-6 at the plate and drove in a pair of runs in Friday's sweep. Parker collected two hits in the nightcap, while junior Lea McFadden provided two hits during the opener.

Freshman pitcher Kailyn Berry scattered seven hits across 6.2 innings in her GGC debut in the second game. Classmate Mollie Peacock picked up her first collegiate victory in the circle by recording the final out of the top of the seventh inning.


 
"I'm really proud of how the team came out. We were focused from the start and had positive energy in the dugout. That (energy) translated with strong play on the field. I wasn't concerned when we fell behind in the top of the seventh because I knew that we were in a good place and having a lot of fun together. That makes good things happen," said Head Coach Kat Ihlenburg.
 
The seventh inning was critical for both teams in the second game. LSU Alexandria turned a 2-1 deficit into a one-run lead with two outs behind back-to-back RBI singles from Bailey Layton and Bailey McCleary. However, GGC wasted no time in answering the challenge. Junior Brooke Parker took the first pitch of the inning to right field for a base hit. A one-out base hit from freshman Angelica Gallegos up the middle of GGC's lineup put the potential tying and game-winning runs on the base paths. A wild pitch allowed freshman pinch runner Kayla Good and Gallegos to advance into scoring position. A walk to senior Piper Wagner loaded the bases for sophomore Lani Trent. She lined a two-run single through the right side to produce the walk-off victory.
 
First Game
Bottom of First
Piper Wagner scored following a passed ball to open the scoring
Christina Zeppa added an RBI single to give the Grizzlies a 2-0 lead
 
Bottom of Third
Piper Wagner connected on a two-run home run, her third of the season
 
Second Game
Bottom of Second
Christina Zeppa tied the game at 1-1 with an RBI double to right-center field
Nikki Lajara added a run-scoring single as the hosts took a 2-1 lead
 
Top of Seventh
Bailey Layton hit an RBI single to tie the contest at 2-2
Bailey McCleary gave the Generals a 3-2 lead with a run-scoring single to right-center field
 
Bottom of Seventh
Lani Trent hit a walk-off single to drive in two runs as the Grizzlies completed the doubleheader sweep
 

• The Grizzlies recorded 17 hits across the doubleheader, highlighted by nine hits in the second game
• Sophomore Christina Zeppa went 3-for-6 and drove in two runs for the Grizzlies
• Senior shortstop Piper Wagner collected seven assists defensively, led by five assists during the second game
• Junior Alexa Good had eight strikeouts in registering the shutout in the opener

• GGC improves to 5-3 in 2022; LSU Alexandria drops to 3-3 on the season
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 11 in the 2022 NAIA Top 25 preseason poll
• Georgia Gwinnett College now holds a 4-1 edge in the series history
• The team has recorded three walk-off victories in 2022

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host University of Mobile (Alabama) in a doubleheader on Saturday, February 19, from the Grizzly Softball Complex, starting at noon.