Like Columbus State Athletics on Facebook!
Tweet #GoCSU

By: Stephen Williams

COLUMBUS – Opening up Peach Belt Conference play, the Columbus State University softball team picked up a pair of 5-2 victories to sweep Georgia Southwestern on Wednesday. The doubleheader was played at Cougar Field.
 
The wins give Columbus State (14-9, 2-0 PBC) a season sweep of the Lady 'Canes after taking two non-conference games from GSW in February.
 
"I'm really proud of our three pitchers today," said head coach Brad Huskisson. "Peyton (Sorrells) kept the ball down and threw really well. Hanna (Manley) threw four good innings and Sydney (Barker) was a nice change of pace late in the game.
 
"Part of our offense is small ball and situational hitting, and I thought we were great at that today."
 
Columbus State will be back in action on Saturday as the Lady Cougars play host to UNC Pembroke. Saturday is Cancer Awareness Day at Cougar Field and the Lady Cougars will be auctioning off their jerseys with proceeds going to the West Central Georgia Cancer Coalition. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
Game One
 
The doubleheader started as a pitcher's duel as only one hitter reached between the two teams through the first two innings.
 
Georgia Southwestern (17-13, 2-2) finally broke through in the third. Back-to-back one-out singles put a pair of runners on and a CSU defensive miscue loaded the bases. Mikela Barlow then singled back through the middle to put the Lady 'Canes up. A sacrifice fly brought home another run, but Kia Smith put an end to the rally by gunning down a runner at third base.
 
The Lady Cougars got the two runs back immediately. Rachel Rhodes singled to lead off the bottom half of the inning and stole her first base of the season with one down. With two outs, Katie White walked on four pitches bringing Smith to the plate.
 
The sophomore rolled a ball out in front of the plate and beat the throw to first. The throw then got away into right field, allowing both Rhodes and White to score to tie the game at two-all.
 
Columbus State took the lead for the first time in the fifth. Keeli Waugh singled to start the inning and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. White then singled on a bunt and stole second putting two runners in scoring position. A wild pitch allowed Waugh to score and Calli Star squeeze White home to give CSU a 4-2 lead.
 
The Lady Cougars tacked on an insurance run in the sixth as Rhodes singled home McKenzie Fagioli to reach the final margin.
 
Sorrells (7-3) took care of the rest for CSU in the circle, going all seven innings for the win. The freshman allowed just one earned run on four hits, needing just 73 pitches to complete the game.
 
Rhodes, Waugh and White all had two hits in the game for the Lady Cougars, with White scoring two of CSU's five runs.
 
Game Two
 
Columbus State struck first in game two, needing just two batters to put a run across. White tripled into the right field corner and Smith singled into left center to give the Lady Cougars a 1-0 lead.
 
CSU used small ball to its advantage in the third inning, scoring a pair of runs with the ball not leaving the infield. White reached on one of her four bunt singles of the day and then swiped second. Smith then beat out a bunt of her own and White came all the way around to score. Later in the inning, Kailey Boone scored Smith with a groundout.
 
Georgia Southwestern got its first run in the top of the fourth, but the Lady Cougars answered back. White picked up a RBI on a sacrifice fly that drove home Rhodes.
 
GSW put another run up in the sixth, however CSU had another answer. White and Smith were at it again getting a single and triple, respectively, to give Columbus State its final margin.
 
Hanna Manley (3-3) allowed one run over four innings to earn the victory. Sydney Barker gave up just one run in her two innings of work, and Sorrells earned her first save of the season with a perfect seventh.
 
Smith and White combined to go a perfect 7-for-7 in the nightcap, while five different Lady Cougars had multi-hit games.