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By: Stephen Williams

AIKEN, S.C. – Keeping up its strong start to Peach Belt Conference play, the Columbus State University softball team picked up a sweep at USC Aiken on Saturday. The doubleheader was played at J.H. Satcher Field.
 
Columbus State (20-14-1, 8-2 PBC) needed eight innings for a 4-2 victory in game one and completed the sweep with a 3-1 win.
 
"Overall, I'm really pleased with the weekend," head coach Brad Huskisson said. "We pitched well today. Our pitching is the key in determining how successful this team can be this season."
 
The Lady Cougars will return home for the final three home doubleheaders of the season. CSU will host Flagler on Friday with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m.
 
Game One
 
CSU jumped on the board first, doing so without a hit in the opening inning. Kia Smith was hit by a pitch with one out, stole second and then moved to third on a fly out. After Kayleigh Briant walked, the Lady Cougars picked up their first run via a double steal.
 
Darby Demarest opened the game with three scoreless frames to keep CSU in front and the Lady Cougars padded the lead in the fourth.
 
A pair of singles put two runners on and Brittany Mitchell delivered the run-scoring hit, singling to left to make it a 2-0 game.
 
USC Aiken (17-13-1, 5-7) scored for the first time in the fifth inning, but a big double play held onto the Lady Cougar advantage. That advantage went away in the sixth however, as the Pacers connected for a leadoff home run that tied the game a two.
 
Neither team scored in the seventh inning, setting up the Lady Cougars for a big eighth.
 
Smith started it off with a double and McKenzie Fagioli followed with a single. A groundout moved both up 60 feet and Elizabeth Perdue pushed CSU back on top with a RBI knock. Mitchell then tacked on an insurance run with a sacrifice fly.
 
Harley Dawson (2-1) worked a scoreless eighth to slam the door shut. Dawson pitched three clean innings in total for the victory.
 
Game Two
 
For the second time in as many days, Keeli Waugh opened a game with a leadoff home run, clearing the wall for a team-leading ninth time this season.
 
USC Aiken got the run back in the second, but CSU would never trail.
 
With the game deadlocked at one in the fourth, Perdue laced a two-out triple into right field and Mitchell stayed hot with a two-run home run that would prove to be the difference in the game.
 
Peyton Sorrells and Helen Snavely combined to do the rest of the work for the Lady Cougars. Sorrells started the game and allowed just the one run over 3.2 innings of work. Snavely relieved her in the fourth and allowed just one hit in her 3.1 innings.