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By: Stephen Williams

COLUMBUS – In its final doubleheader of the season, the Columbus State University softball team swept a pair of games against Albany State on Tuesday night. The non-conference games were played at Cougar Field.
 
The Lady Cougars needed just five innings to pick up a 9-0 win in game one before getting an 11-3 win in the nightcap. Columbus State closes out the season at 27-26 after the pair of mercy rule victories.
 
"It was great to close out the season on a high note," head coach Brad Huskisson said. "This season has had its ups and downs, but we swung the bats well tonight and were able to put a lot of runs on the board."
 
Game One
 
After a quick top of the first inning, the Columbus State offense went to work.
 
Katie White tripled to the wall in right field to lead off the CSU first. Kia Smith followed with a bunt single and stole her 29^th base of the season. Calli Star then put CSU on the scoreboard with a RBI single. With runners on the corners, Star swiped second base and Smith came across the plate on the throw down for the second Lady Cougar run.
 
The second inning started with a bang as Rachel Rhodes launched the first of her two home runs on the night.
 
One inning later, two more runs scored as Rhodes drove in McKenzie Fagioli and a second run came in after an ASU error.
 
In the fourth, Lee Anne Rees got in on the home run act with a solo shot to left for her first of the season. Fagioli stretched the CSU lead to seven with a RBI single and Elizabeth Perdue followed with a two-run homer to cap the scoring. The long ball was the team-leading seventh of the season for the freshman.
 
Perdue was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate to lead the Lady Cougars, as five different players had at least two hits.
 
Darby Demarest (3-4) picked up the victory working four scoreless innings. The freshman struck out seven, while giving up just three hits. Sydney Barker worked a scoreless fifth to finish the game.
 
Game Two
 
The scoring started in the first once again for the Lady Cougars in game two.
 
White singled and added to her CSU leading total with her 32^nd stolen base. Star singled back through the middle two batters later to give the Lady Cougars the lead.
 
Later in the inning, Kayleigh Briant worked a five-pitch walk with the bases loaded to bring home a second run.
 
In the second, an Albany State error brought two runs home to double the lead, and a sacrifice fly from Star and RBI double from Briant made it a 6-0 game in favor of CSU.
 
The game remained at 6-0 until the fifth, when Albany State (17-32) finally scored for the first time in the doubleheader. The Lady Rams took advantage of some defensive miscues from the Lady Cougars and was able to get three runs across the plate.
 
Columbus State answered back with five runs in the bottom half of the inning to end the game early.
 
Kailey Boone doubled off the left field line to score the first run and Rhodes crushed her second home run of the game to make it 9-3.
 
Two batters later, White hit a long fly ball off the wall in left field. The ball caromed off the outfielder and White motored all the way around the bases, narrowly beating the throw home for the inside the park home run.
 
Needing one more run to finish off the win, three consecutive walks loaded the bases with two outs in the inning. Pinch hitter Jessica Siggers delivered for the Lady Cougars, lining a ball to left to score the final run.
 
White led the CSU offensive attack in game two with a 3-for-4 showing and three runs scored. Briant was 2-for-2, while seven different Lady Cougars had at least one hit.
 
Hanna Manley (8-10) closed out the season with 4.1 innings in the circle, allowing just an unearned run and one hit. Peyton Sorrells recorded the final two outs in the fifth and earned her second save of the season.