LAWRENCEBURG, Ga. – The #20 Lady Tigers faced off Coastal Georgia and #14 Georgia Gwinnett under sunny skies Saturday. Campbellsville split the day as they defeated the Mariners but dropped their game to the Grizzlies.
GAME ONE: Campbellsville 9, Coastal Georgia 1
To begin the contest, Katy Chadwell entered the pitching circle for Campbellsville. Chadwell pitched to four of Coastal Georgia's batters before the Lady Tigers took their turn at the plate. Leadoff Riley Hurst singled through the left side to place herself on the bases. Hurst advanced on a wild pitch, and Lexi Miller followed suit with a single to left to place Campbellsville in position to score. Payton Blades grounded out to shortstop but collected an RBI as Hurst crossed the plate. Morgan Carter tallied another RBI for the Lady Tigers as she batted in Miller. Campbellsville continued to rack up singles to make their way around the bases. Caroline Pitcock singled to left field, which allowed Carter to cross the plate. The Lady Tigers tallied three runs to jump out on the Mariners.
Coastal Georgia found relief in the top of the second inning. Campbellsville struggled in the circle as the Mariners stepped on the bases with walks and singles. Coastal Georgia worked their way around the bases to scratch one run off their trail. Campbellsville revealed no reward during their time in the batters' box and returned to defense.
Campbellsville's defense shut out the Mariners' batters in both the third and fourth inning. The Lady Tigers tacked on more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Brea Croslin trotted down the first base line after a walk and moved around the bags on a fielder's choice by Coastal Georgia. Croslin and Hurst stood in scoring position when Miller doubled down the right-field line for a two-run RBI. Ashby Murt was up to bat while Campbellsville loaded up the bases. Murt reached first, but Miller suffered a putout at home. The Mariners walked Pitcock and Taylor Windell, which led to Madison Davis and Carter crossing the plate for two more runs. Coastal Georgia continued to walk batters Croslin and Hurst for the Lady Tigers to score two more runs before closing the inning.
The Lady Tigers made several substitutions at the top of the fifth inning. Emily Reynolds came into the contest to relieve Chadwell in the circle. Although Reynolds walked her first batter, she tallied two Ks to shut out the inning and close the game.
Pitcock led her team, batting 1.000 in her two at-bats. Three Lady Tigers batted at .500 in their time at the plate. These batters were Hurst, Miller, and Carter. Collectively, Chadwell and Reynolds completed the contest with a .659 strike percentage, while Coastal Georgia's four pitchers finished with a .571 strike percentage.
GAME TWO: Campbellsville 0, Georgia Gwinnett 4
Campbellsville started on offense to begin the competition. However, the Lady Tigers returned to the dugout after fighting to reach the bases. Campbellsville's defenders did not allow the Grizzlies to get ahead of them in their time at bat either. After the first inning, the score remained at zero runs.
The Lady Tigers were not going down without a fight. In the top of the third inning, the grizzlies collected three strikeouts. Hurst doubled to right center but was left stranded on the bags as Campbellsville reentered the dugout. Georgia Gwinnett applied pressure on the Lady Tigers as they captured a single to center field. Courtney Patterson stood in the circle as Campbellsville's pitcher. A line drive to Patterson turned into a double play as she threw the ball over to Keeley Bowling at first base. Pitcock put out the final batter of the inning on a throw.
The Lady Tigers still could not tack on a run as they were nearing the bottom of the fifth inning. A Campbellsville fielding error allowed the Grizzlies to find themselves on the bases. After a sacrifice bunt, Georgia Gwinnett was in scoring position. A single to right field allowed the Grizzlies to take the lead. Moments later, the Grizzlies had runners on second and third base. Georgia Gwinnett amasses two more RBIs to place Campbellsville at a 3-0 deficit.
The Lady Tigers were still scoreless in the sixth inning. The Grizzlies amassed another RBI, furthering their lead. Allison Bush came into the competition to relieve Patterson in the circle. Georgia Gwinnett put the ball into play, but the Lady Tiger defense halted any further runs. Campbellsville's final shot at the Grizzlies did not go to plan, and the Lady Tigers dropped the competition 4-0.
Unlike game one, the Lady Tigers' offense struggled in game two. Hurst finished the contest batting .667 with two hits out of her three at-bats. As for pitching, Campbellsville did not exchange any batters for strikeouts, while the Grizzlies' solo pitcher poised 15 strikeouts.
The Lady Tigers will be back on Wednesday, February 22nd, at Hord Softball Field. The competition is a doubleheader against Midway University. Game one will begin at 2 p.m. ET.
