Georgia Gwinnett College Athletics

The Georgia Gwinnett College softball team collected a road doubleheader sweep against fellow Continental Athletic Conference foe Carolina University by 11-3 and 5-4 scores on Wednesday afternoon in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

The Grizzlies (23-19) pushed across a run in all six innings of the opening game. Then, the visitors rallied from a 3-2 deficit with a two-run sixth inning helping complete the sweep.

In the first game, GGC built a 3-1 lead following a sacrifice fly from junior left fielder Kaitlyn Crumley in the top of the third inning. Sophomore center fielder Casey Beaver hit an RBI single up the middle in the second inning and senior first baseman Savannah Jenkins started the productive offensive output with an RBI ground out to second base in the first inning.

Carolina (12-20) would tie the contest, at 3-3, as two runs scored following a fielding error in the bottom half of the third inning.

However, GGC continued to score and eventually took the lead for good when junior third baseman Morgan McQuagge scored following a wild pitch in the fourth inning. Jenkins was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the fifth inning.

The Grizzlies broke the contest open by scoring six runs in the sixth inning. Beaver began the late surge with a run-scoring single through the right side of the infield. Consecutive walks with the bases loaded to Jenkins and senior second baseman Sara Roussel stretched the advantage to 9-3. Senior left fielder Enna Lackey added a two-run single up the middle as the Grizzlies scored a season-high 11 runs.

In the second game, freshman left fielder Sadie McGuinn delivered a clutch RBI single to left field that tied the contest at 3-3 in the top of the sixth inning. She later scored the go-ahead run following a wild pitch later in the frame.

Jenkins brought home a key insurance run with an RBI ground out in the top of the seventh inning, giving GGC a 5-3 advantage.

Carolina charged in front with a 3-2 lead behind a three-run fifth inning. Emma-Lea Cabral hit a two-run single to give the Bruins their first lead in four games against the Grizzlies this spring. The hosts then made things interesting in the bottom half of the seventh inning as an error by the GGC defense allowed Jocelyn DeMoss to score. Beaver threw out the potential game-tying run at the plate to dramatically end the contest.

Beaver went 2-for-3 and scored twice from the leadoff spot in the first game. Jenkins drove in five runs on the day. Freshman catcher Brooke Rockhold tallied two of GGC's 11 hits during the opener.

Senior pitcher Kailyn Berry recorded six strikeouts and improved her record to 11-4 with a complete-game victory in the first contest. Freshman Tatum Helsom had a career-high eight strikeouts in collecting her ninth win of the season inside the pitching circle in the second game.
 
Coach's Corner
"We had some good quality at bats in key moments. The pitchers made excellent pitches when they (Carolina) had small threats going. Overall, we are playing well together at the most important time of the season," said Head Coach Kat Ihlenburg.
 
Turning Point
The Grizzlies scored three runs across the final two innings to rally from a 3-2 deficit in the second game to complete Wednesday's doubleheader sweep. Freshman left fielder Sadie McGuinn delivered a run-scoring single to left field that tied the game in the top of the sixth inning. She later came around to score following a wild pitch to give the visitors a 4-3 lead later in the frame.
 
Key Plays
First Game
Top of First
Savannah Jenkins opened the scoring with an RBI ground out to second base
 
Top of Second
Casey Beaver collected a run-scoring single up the middle, giving the Grizzlies a 2-0 lead
 
Top of Third
Kaitlyn Crumley added a sacrifice fly to left field
 
Top of Fourth
Morgan McQuagge scored following a wild pitch as GGC regained the lead, at 4-3
 
Top of Fifth
Savannah Jenkins was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded
 
Top of Sixth
Casey Beaver lined a run-scoring single through the right side of the infield
Savannah Jenkins drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home Sophie Sisk
Sara Roussel followed with another walk, extending the lead to 9-3
Enna Lackey brought home a pair of runs with a single up the middle
 
Second Game
Top of Third
Savannah Jenkins hit an RBI single to center field, giving the Grizzlies a 2-0 advantage
 
Bottom of Fifth
Emma-Lea Cabral tallied a single to score a pair of runs and give Carolina a 3-2 lead
 
Top of Sixth
Sadie McGuinn tied the game, at 3-3, with a run-scoring single to left field
Sadie McGuinn scored following a wild pitch as the Grizzlies took a 4-3 lead
 
Top of Seventh
Savannah Jenkins hit an RBI ground out to shortstop to plate an insurance run
 
Bottom of Seventh
Jocelyn DeMoss scored following an error to bring the Bruins within a run, at 5-4
GGC center fielder Casey Beaver threw out the potential game-tying runner, with Madison Hamilton being tagged before crossing home plate, to end the contest
 
Inside The Numbers

• The Grizzlies tallied 13 hits across Wednesday's doubleheader sweep, with nine hits coming in the first game of the day
• GGC successfully stole seven bases, led by four steals in the second contest
• Senior first baseman Savannah Jenkins had five RBI across the two games
• Freshman pitcher Tatum Helsom struck out a career-high eight batters in picking up the victory in the second game

News & Notes

• GGC improves to 23-18 this spring; Carolina drops to 12-20 in 2026
• The Grizzlies received votes in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll
• Georgia Gwinnett College and Carolina are members of the Continental Athletic Conference
• GGC scored a season-high 11 runs in Wednesday's first contest

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host Brewton-Parker Christian University (Georgia) on Wednesday, April 15, at the Grizzly Softball Complex, starting at 4 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear green clothing during the Green Out doubleheader.