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By: Stephen Williams

ALBANY, Ga. – With a combined 20 runs and 19 hits, the Columbus State University softball team powered its way to a doubleheader sweep at Albany State on Thursday. The games were played at Lady Ram Park in Albany, Ga.
 
Columbus State (12-9) downed the Lady Rams 13-1 in five innings in game one, before wrapping up the doubleheader with a 7-4 win in the nightcap.
 
The Lady Cougars will have a week off before traveling to Fairfield, Ala. for two games against Miles.
 
Game One
 
Wednesday's opener started slow as the pitchers held the offenses scoreless through the first two innings.
 
Columbus State broke through first in the top of the third inning. After a leadoff groundout, Katie White singled and stole second base. Kia Smith walked to put a pair of runners on and the duo swiped second and third to put to in scoring position.
 
Calli Star started the scoring with a two-run single into left field to give the Lady Cougars the first lead of the day. Star eventually came around to score on a throwing error, and Rachel Rhodes doubled to the wall in centerfield scoring Kailey Boone to cap a four-run inning.
 
Albany State (1-9) picked up its only run of the game in its half of the third before the Lady Cougars put the game away.
 
Elizabeth Perdue led off the fourth with a double to left-centerfield and came around to score on ASU's second error of the game.
 
CSU added its separation and closed out the game with an eight-run fifth.
 
McKenzie Fagioli doubled to start the frame, beginning a stretch of five straight Lady Cougars to reach base. Rhodes tripled home Fagioli and Keeli Waugh followed with a run-scoring knock of her own.
 
Fagioli came back to the plate later in the inning and doubled home two more, while Boone finished off the scoring with a RBI double of her own.
 
Hanna Manley (2-3) went the distance in the circle for CSU, allowing just the one run on five hits, striking out five.
 
Seven different Lady Cougars had a hit in the opening game, with four finishing with a pair of hits.
 
Game Two
 
The bats kept rolling for the Lady Cougars in the second game of the day with CSU putting two runs up in each of the first two innings.
 
Columbus State looked as if it was going to go down quietly in the first as the first two hitters went down on strikes. Star started the two-out rally with a single into centerfield. Fagioli then worked a seven-pitch walk and Boone paid it off with a two-run double down the left field line.
 
The Lady Rams got one of the two back in the bottom half, but CSU kept adding on.
 
Kayleigh Briant reached on a throwing error to open the second and Perdue immediately made Albany State pay. The freshman hit her fourth home run of the season to give the Lady Cougars a 4-1 lead.
 
Albany State pulled within two with a run in the third, however the Lady Cougars would put another pair on the board in the fifth.
 
Star bunted in White to extend the lead to three and Fagioli ripped her third double of the day to bring Star home to add one more to the tally.
 
Two innings later, Star put the cherry on top of the sweep with a solo homer to give CSU its final margin.
 
Star had the only multi-hit performance in the second game, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored.
 
Peyton Sorrells (6-3) grabbed the victory, going five innings and allowing only three earned runs. Manley tossed a scoreless final two innings to earn her second save of the year.