April 16, 2015

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MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. - The No. 6 Georgia College softball team swept a doubleheader matchup against

conference opponents USC-Aiken on Sunday.

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The Bobcats took a closer-than-expected, 3-2 win in game one, and then quickly dispatched Aiken in game two,

mercy ruling the Pacers 9-0 in five innings.

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On senior day at the Peeler Complex, it was the Bobcat freshmen that jump-started the offense in game one.

Infielder Baylee Hall roped a stand up triple to the right center field gap to bring in fellow freshman and utility

player Hannah Coursey from first base, making the score 1-0.

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USC-Aiken got on the board in the fourth, adding a run of their own and tying the game. The Bobcats responded

in the bottom half of the frame, plating Coursey again on junior infielder Kristen Brooks’ go ahead RBI single.

The Bobcats added one more in the fifth, and that would be all they needed to finish off the Pacers.

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Junior pitcher Marisa Boyette went the distance for the 22nd time of the season, giving up only one earned run

and earning her 20th victory. She’s the first Bobcat pitcher to win 20 games since 2009.

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The Bobcats went on cruise control in game two as the No. 1 offense in the Peach Belt Conference ambushed the

USC-Aiken pitching staff for eight runs in the first two innings.

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The first inning saw six Bobcats touch home, thanks in large part to a pair of USC-Aiken errors. The highlight

of the inning came from junior pitcher Abi Leroy, who singled in her first at bat to bring in the first run of the

game. The RBI was the junior’s 131st of her career, tying the GC career record.

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Two more Bobcat runs came across in the second and one more was added for good measure in the fourth to

make the score 9-0.

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Junior catcher Lacey Najafi finished with two RBI’s to lead the Bobcats on the day, aided by an 8-for-9

performance from the top of the lineup as Brooks, sophomore center fielder Dani Bernstein and Leroy crushed

USC-Aiken pitching in the rout.

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Sophomore Carly Lewis went all five innings, throwing a shutout for the fifth time this year and picking up her

17th win.

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The series ended on a high note for the Bobcats as Bernstein made an outstanding diving catch at the edge of the

outfield fence and then threw the runner out at second for a game-ending double play.

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The play marked the end of a very successful senior day at the ballpark as the Bobcats celebrated the four-year

careers of utility player Frankie Walls and outfielder Kristin Humphries. Walls started the second game at first

base while Humphries celebrated with the team in the dugout, still recovering from an injury earlier in the year.

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“They’ve been a big part of our program the last four years,” Head Coach Jamie Grodecki said. “They’ve put in a

lot of time and work and today was well deserved. I’m just proud of them. I’m happy to see them through this,

and they’re both graduating on time, and they’re both just good representatives of Georgia College.”

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“It’s been a great year and there is no team I’d rather spend my senior year with,” Walls said.

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The Bobcats move to 39-7 on the year and 16-4 in the conference with only two series remaining before the

Peach Belt Conference Tournament in Milledgeville.

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The senior class now has a record of 135-65 over four years.