Georgia Military College JC Softball team had a great spring break winning all six games in dominating fashion. The Bulldogs combined 78 hits over the six-game stretch, including 13 Home Runs and eight doubles. They outscored the opponents by a total of 62-3 as the pitching trio Jana Shelhorse, Beth Eddins, and Layla Baron combined for 40 Strikeouts.
In the first match-up, the Bulldogs took two GCAA Andrew College games, winning the first game 10-2 and the second 11-1. The Bulldogs started slow but scored runs in four of the last five innings to win game one. Brianna Painter and Jessica Owens had four hits each. Makensey Sapp hit her team-leading sixth home run of the season, and Caroline Hughes provided three hits. Kinsley Goolsby came out of her slump with two shots, one single and one double. Whitley Ward also had two hits. Sapp and Mackenzie Kilpatrick both hit home runs, Sapp's solo shot to center and Kilpatrick's a two-run rocket to left-center.
Jana Shellhorse picked up her seventh win on the season, striking out nine and carrying a perfect game into the seventh inning. In-game two, The Bulldogs started the scoring, Sapp led things off with a walk and stolen base. She scored on a ground out to second by Ward. The Tigers answered in the bottom of the first with their only run of the game. The Bulldogs came storming back with six runs in the second inning. They scored one run in the third inning and three more in the fifth to implement the run-rule effect. Every starter in the Bulldogs lineup had a hit; Ward, Owens, Kilpatrick, and Graves had two. Graves' hits included a solo home run. Eddins picked up her eighth win of the season, and Layla Barron finished out the contest throwing a perfect inning in the bottom of the fifth.
The Bulldogs then traveled to Tifton, Georgia, to face Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, where they continued their success. The Bulldogs fell behind in both games and fought back, winning game one 8-1 and game two 5-2. The pitching staff picked up 13 strikeouts on the day while the Bulldogs bats racked 20 hits. The series started as a pitcher's duel, with neither team scoring until the third inning when the
Fillies got their only run of the game. Their lead didn't last long; Whitley Ward led off the top of the fourth inning with a single, and Jessica Owens followed with a two-run homer over the left-field fence to give the Bulldogs the lead 2-1. The Bulldogs scored two more runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth to seal the victory. Autumn Land and Mackenzie Kilpatrick had two hits apiece, with Land also scoring two runs. Owens drove in the game's final three runs with a rocket past the third baseman, clearing the bases with two outs. Shellhorse struck out nine in a complete game picking up her eighth win of the season. In-game two, the Bulldogs fell behind to the Fillies as they scored in the bottom of the first inning on an error. Whitley Ward's solo home run in the top of the third tied things up. Eddins settled in after giving up a home run in the third and kept the Fillies scoreless for the remainder of the game as the Bulldogs bats came alive. Hughes, Land, and Sapp each reached on singles, and with the bases loaded, Brianna Painter line drove to left field for a 2 RBI single. Painter scored on the double off the bat of Owens. Eddins picked up her ninth win on the season as she went a complete game striking out eight.
Six home runs and strong pitching propelled the Bulldogs to two wins at Spartanburg Methodist College 14-2 and 14-0. The Bulldogs jumped on the scoring train early in game one. Jessica Owens blasted a three-run homer to left field. Mackenzie Kilpatrick followed with her first home run of the day; a towering solo shot to left field. The Bulldogs scored five more runs in the second after Callie Faircloth reached on a walk and then stole second and third base. Faircloth was drove in by a line drive single to left field by Autumn Land. Land stole second base and then scored on the double to deep center by Makensey Sapp. Kilpatrick hit her second home with two outs, run in as many at-bats, a three-run liner to the right-center. The Bulldogs added two additional runs in the fourth inning and three in the fifth inning, including a solo home run by Callie Faircloth, her first of her career, and a two-out double by pinch hitter Chasney Thomas that drove in two runs. Starting pitcher Beth Eddins picked up her tenth win of the season on a near-perfect outing, with one walk, two hits, and eight strikeouts on the day. Game two starter Layla Barron pitched a complete game shutout, her first of the season. Barron scattered three hits during the five-inning game and struck out six batters for her second win of the season. Sapp and Painter started the game with back-to-back singles and then scoring on errors. The Bulldogs added two runs in the second inning. Caroline Hughes led off with a single, advanced to second on an error, stole third, and scored on a ground ball to the Land's shortstop. Owens lead off the third inning with a single to left field. Owens was driven in by Kilpatrick's third home run of the day. Macy Poisal followed that up on the first pitch she saw with her career's first home run, a no-doubter to left field! The fourth and fifth innings were combined with hits and some SMC defense errors, allowing the Bulldogs to score seven additional runs. Kilpatrick, Poisal, and Painter each picked up another RBI in the final two innings.
Coach Ashley Bunn commented on the team's success, "Top to bottom we have been getting on base and making things happen for us offensively; the long ball, stolen bases, taking extra bases, battling into deep counts, and coming through with two-out hits. These are all aspects that we need to continue to do well in as we begin the second round of conference play next week. Add that our pitchers have been throwing very well and limiting walks; if they keep that up, this will be a fun finish to the regular season."
