AUM softball sweeps MGSC doubleheader
MONTGOMERY, Ala.(aumathletics.com) — The No. 2 Auburn Montgomery softball team picked up its fifth SSAC double header sweep Friday afternoon over Middle Georgia State College, by winning the first game 9-1 in five innings, and taking the second game 2-1.
NOTES
• The Warhawks improved to 36-3 (12-2) on the year.
• The Knights fell to 16-21 (5-7) on the season.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Sophomore Rose Schmidt launched her second home run of the season in the first game, and added a double with two runs scored and her 18th RBI of the year.
• Freshman Hayden Henderson was the only Warhawk to pick up a hit in both games, as she picked up a double in the first game, with a single and an RBI in the second contest. She also scored two runs on the day.
• Junior Sydney Dishman finished the second game a perfect 2-for-2, and is third on the team with 34 hits.
• Senior Katie Brinkman added a long ball in the first game for her fourth home run of the year.
• Senior Taylor Powell improved to 21-2 on the year after tossing her 15th complete-game of the season in game one. She added nine strikeouts and allowed just one hit with no earned runs. She has struck out eight or more batters 12 times this season. Offensively, she finished the first game 1-for-1 with two walks, two runs scored and an RBI.
• Junior Rachel Ragland improved to 14-0 on the year after tossing her 12th contest with no earned runs in game two. She picked up 10 strikeouts in the win, and only allowed three hits. The double-digit strikeout marks the most since she retired 13 batters in the same fashion against McKendree on February 12, in her first outing for the Warhawks. Ragland also finished the day 2-for-3 with two doubles offensively in the second game.
• Sabrina Doucette led the way for Middle Georgia as she finished the day 2-for-5 with her teams only two RBIs.
GAME 1 HOW IT HAPPENED
• AUM scored in every inning to end the game after five innings of play. The Warhawks picked up their first run in the bottom of the first on a Persinger single up the middle that scored Jenkins for an early 1-0 lead.
• AUM added three more runs in the bottom of the second. Brinkman launched a solo shot with one out for the first run, and a Powell single up the middle plated Henderson. Powell came around to score after a wild throw in the infield to give AUM a 4-0 lead.
• Schmidt picked up her third career home run in the bottom of the third to extend the lead to five, 5-0.
• Middle Georgia tallied its only run of the first game after two errors, and a single from Doucette that scored Davis. Prior to the inning, Powell had retired nine straight batters. The Knights cut the lead to four, 5-1.
• AUM scored two runs in both the bottom of the fourth and fifth to end the game early. A ground ball from Angulo plated Jenkins, and Powell came around to score on a passed ball in the fourth. Nielsen hit a single to score Schmidt in the fifth, and the final run came across after a fielding error to give AUM the 9-1 victory in game one.
GAME 2 HOW IT HAPPENED
• AUM scored first in the bottom of the second after Henderson singled and was moved around to third. She plated the first run of the game after a wild pitch for the 1-0 lead after two innings complete.
• AUM added its final run of the game in the bottom of the third. Henderson reached on a fielder’s choice, but Dishman held up in a rundown long enough for Persinger to score, which gave AUM a 2-0 lead.
• Middle Georgia added its final run of the day in the top of the sixth after a Doucette double that plated Bawkin with two outs to make the score 2-1.
• After a one out single, Ragland forced a 6-4-3 double play to end game two, and give the Warhawks the 2-1 win and twin bill sweep.
QUOTING THE COACH
• “This group continues to find ways to win ball games, and we are happy to add two more conference wins after today,” Head coach Eric Newell stated. “Brenau is a very tenacious team to be playing tomorrow, and we’ll work to get one at a time tomorrow.”
UP NEXT
• The Warhawks will return to action on Saturday, April 9, when they host Brenau University in a Southern States Athletic Conference double header that is set to begin at 1 p.m. Before the start of the contest, the 2016 senior class will be honored and recognized.
