COLUMBUS, GA. – Columbus State softball welcomed Union University (Tenn.) on Friday afternoon for a doubleheader home opener.
The Lady Cougars (4-1) opened the three-game series with two wins against the Bulldogs (0-6) taking game one 2-0 and game two (3-0).
Game One - Columbus State 2, Union 0
Game one started off quiet for the Lady Cougars and Bulldogs as neither team produced anything for 3 innings. Eventually, the Lady Cougars broke through in the bottom 4th once Nova Wright got on base from a walk and stole second. Anna Waites then hit a single out to right field which allowed Nova Wright to advance to third, where she scored due to an error by the Bulldogs right fielder. Columbus State followed with another score in the 4th after Izzy Ripatti brought in Anna Waites to bring the score in favor of the Lady Cougars.
The Bulldogs tried to strike back in the 5th by producing their first hit of the game. Fortunately, for the Lady Cougars, Julianna Franklin struck out two Bulldogs to end the short inning. The rest of the game resulted in scoreless efforts, as Union could not crack through, giving Columbus State their first home win of the 2025 season.
Quick Hits
Game Two - Columbus State 3, Union 0
Lily Miller picked up her first two strikeouts of the game to quickly get the Lady Cougars out of the top 2nd. The game was rather quiet the first few innings until Columbus State began to pick up the action into the bottom 3rd. Ella Hopper singled to shortstop and then stole second. Mary-Catherine Sorrell and Nova Wright walked to get the Lady Cougars with loaded bases. Unfortunately, for the Lady Cougars, they could not produce any runs.
The Bulldogs continued to struggle until the top 5th when Hailey Sipes produced their first of the game but then got caught stealing. Columbus State opened up the game in the bottom 6th as three hits and three runs were produced. Gracyn Gurley reached base on a fielder's choice RBI that brought Anna Waites to the scoring plate. Right after, Madison Mcdonald hit a bomb out to left center bringing her to third as Gurley scored their second run. Ella Hopper singled to center field to bring in Madison Mcdonald for the Lady Cougars final run of the game.
In the top 7th, Union responded when Sarah Kate Thompson singled to center and soon after reached second base after another bulldog reached on a fielder's choice. Hailey Sipes reached first from a walk to load the bases for Union, however they could not capitalize off of this.
Quick Hits
- Anna Waites, Gracyn Gurley, and Madison Mcdonald notched one run a piece to give the Cougars their 3-0 win.
- Madison Mcdonald, Gracyn Gurley, and Ella Hopper helped bring in three scores by each notching an RBI.
- CSU produced 7 hits this game after having a quiet first game.
- Lily Miller (1-1) picked up the win after tossing 7 innings. She struck out four batters, walked two, and gave up two hits.
Next Up
- Columbus State wraps up the weekend with a solo game at Noon ET tomorrow at Cougar Field
