Warhawk softballers tame Bryan’s Lions in home doubleheader
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (aumathletics.com) — Senior Paige Nielsen led the way offensively in game two with a 2-for-2 performance with two doubles, and a career-high four RBIs as the top-ranked Auburn Montgomery softball team defeated Bryan College 3-4 in game one, and 10-2 in five innings in game two, Wednesday afternoon.
NOTES
• The Warhawks now stand at 22-1 on the season.
• Bryan fell to 13-9 overall.
• AUM improves to 5-0 all-time against Bryan.
• AUM extends its win streak to 20 with the twin bill sweep over Bryan.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Nielsen tied a career-high for two hits in a game, and earned a new career-high with her four RBI performance in game two. She also set a new career mark with her two doubles in the game.
• Senior Jennifer Jenkins finished the day 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a pair of RBIs. Jenkins’ run in the first game proved to be the difference maker as the Warhawks scored late to take the victory.
• Senior Katie Brinkman finished the second game 1-for-1 on a two-RBI double, and she also scored two runs in the game.
• Sophomore Rose Schmidt finished the first game 1-for-4 with a run scored, and added a 2-for-2 performance in game two with two RBIs and two runs scored.
• Sophomore Amy Persinger finished the day 4-for-6 with a double, three runs scored and an RBI.
• Junior Sydney Dishman finished the first game 1-for-3 with a run scored, an RBI and a walk. She finished the second game 2-for-3 with two runs scored
• Senior Taylor Powell improved to 12-0 on the year, as she pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings and seven innings total on 10 strikeouts and three hits in the 4-3 win in game one. She picked up two strikeouts in the final inning of the game to earn the victory.
• Junior Rachel Ragland improved to 9-0 on the year after hurling five innings and giving up only one earned run. She added eight strikeouts on five hits.
• Lacye Walker led the way for Bryan finishing 2-for-5 with a run scored and two RBIs.
GAME 1 HOW IT HAPPENED
• Neither team was able to score in the first inning, but AUM took an early lead on an RBI single up the middle from Persinger that scored Dishman.
• AUM plated an additional run in the third on an RBI single from Dishman that scored Schmidt to give AUM a 2-0 lead.
• AUM extended the lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth as Henderson hit a sacrifice fly that plated Ragland.
• Bryan mounted a comeback in the top of the sixth scoring three runs on two hits to tie the game at 3-3 heading to the bottom half of the frame.
• Jenkins led off the inning with a double, and scored on an error to give AUM the lead 4-3 headed to the seventh. Powell sealed the win with two strikeouts and a line out to Schmidt, which gave AUM the 4-3 victory.
GAME 2 HOW IT HAPPENED
• AUM exploded offensively in the second game with 10 hits, and got on the board first in the bottom of the second. Schmidt singled down the left field line to score Dishman, and a base-clearing double from Nielsen gave AUM a 4-0 lead.
• AUM continued to score in the bottom of the third, adding five runs on four hits. Jenkins got the ball rolling on a double down the left field line that scored Dishman and Persinger. A double down the right field line from Brinkman scored both Schmidt and Jenkins, and another Nielsen double scored Brinkman to give AUM a 9-0 lead after three innings.
• Bryan scored a single run in the top of the fourth, but Persinger scored on a Schmidt single through the right side to give AUM a 10-1 advantage.
• Bryan scratched a run across in the top of the fifth on a single to shallow right to make the score 10-2 in the top of the fifth.
• Ragland recorded a strikeout with bases loaded and two outs in the fifth to give AUM the 10-2 victory, and the clean sweep over Bryan.
QUOTING THE COACH
• “All-in-all I’m happy to get two wins, and to be able to play before we start our conference schedule,” Head coach Eric Newell stated. “Up and down the seniors played well. The way we responded late in the first game was a very encouraging thing to witness.”
UP NEXT
• The Warhawks will return to the field on Friday, March 18 when they host Faulkner University for a doubleheader in the Southern States Athletic Conference opener with the first game at 2 p.m.
