The No. 11-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College softball team picked up a pair of one-run victories at No. 13 Middle Georgia State University by 3-2 and 4-3 scores Saturday in Cochran, Georgia, to close out the regular season with a six-game winning streak and a 37-9 record.

The victories gave the Grizzlies an 11-2 record during the 13-game road swing in April and avenged two losses to the Knights (38-12) – each also by one-run margins – in Lawrenceville on February 21.

GGC rallied in the middle innings to win the opener. Freshman Madison Rodgers hit an RBI single to right field to give the visitors a 2-1 lead after junior Logan Oller scored on a passed ball to tie the contest.

One inning later, senior Lea McFadden hit an RBI ground out to first base to bring home a key insurance run.

Rodgers and Oller joined junior Josie Haulk in each having two hits among the team's eight-hit offensive attack.

In the second game, the Grizzlies used a four-run second inning to jump out to a 4-0 lead.

Oller executed a safety squeeze bunt to bring home sophomore Emerson Hall for the first run of the frame. Freshman Summer Hickson hit an RBI double to left field for a 2-0 advantage.

Senior Sydney Pelaez added a two-run single to cap the big offensive inning. She went 2-for-4 with two RBI in the victory.

Middle Georgia State chipped away at the deficit by scoring an unearned run in the third inning and then getting within two runs, 4-2, on an RBI double by Georgia Bice in the sixth inning.

Emma Raulerson brought the Knights even closer, 4-3, with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning. However, sophomore pitcher Annalise Wood got a fly out to left field to secure the victory. She struck out five batters in improving to 20-1 on the season.

Sophomore Kailyn Berry scattered seven hits across five strong innings in the opener to pick up her seventh win of the season. Wood had three strikeouts in 1.2 innings to collect her second save of this spring.
  "Coming back after they scored first (in the first game) and then holding them while they chipped away late just shows how much this team will fight for each other. We're more mature and game-experienced than when we played Middle Georgia State earlier (losing two one-run games on February 21). This doubleheader was good preparation for the postseason. This team has put together a strong April (winning 12 of 15 games)," said Head Coach Kat Ihlenburg.
  Timely hitting played a key role in GGC's Saturday doubleheader sweep at Middle Georgia State. Freshman Madison Rodgers gave the visitors a 2-1 lead with an RBI single in the fourth inning of the opener. Senior Lea McFadden added a key insurance run one inning later. In the second game, freshman Summer Hickson hit a run-scoring double before senior Sydney Pelaez drove in a pair of runs with a single in a four-run second inning.
  First Game
Top of Fourth
Logan Oller scored off a passed ball
Madison Rodgers hit a run-scoring single to right field that gave the Grizzlies a 2-1 lead
 
Top of Fifth
Lea McFadden hit an RBI ground out to first base that scored Kayla Good
 
Second Game
Top of Second
Logan Oller hit a safety squeeze bunt that scored Emerson Hall
Summer Hickson added an RBI double for the Grizzlies' 2-0 lead
Sydney Pelaez drove in a pair of runs with a single to right field
 
Bottom of Sixth
Georgia Bice hit an RBI double to left field to bring the Knights within two runs, 4-2
 
Bottom of Seventh
Emma Raulerson hit a sacrifice fly to bring home another run
 

• The Grizzlies tallied 13 hits across the doubleheader sweep
• GGC recorded five stolen bases, led by three steals in the second contest
• Both teams left seven runs on base in the second game
• Sophomore pitcher Annalise Wood picked up her 20th win and had her second save of the season during the doubleheader

• GGC improves to 37-9 on the season, while Middle Georgia State drops to 38-12 in 2023
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 11 in the final regular-season NAIA Top 25 poll; Middle Georgia State stood No. 13 in the same poll
• GGC has won seven of the 10 meetings in the series with the Knights and split the four meetings this spring
• The team went 11-2 during the team's 13-game road swing to conclude the regular season

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to enter postseason play Thursday, May 4, against USC Beaufort to open the 2023 Continental Athletic Conference Softball Championship tournament from the Grizzly Softball Complex, starting at noon.