LAGRANGE, GA – The William Peace University softball team swept LaGrange College Saturday afternoon, winning both games in their final at bat. The Pacers took game one, 7-6, followed by a 4-3 win in eight innings, improving their record to 18-6 overall and 7-1 in the USA South.
Game One: William Peace 7, LaGrange 6WPU broke a 4-4 tie with a run in the top of the sixth thanks to an RBI single from
Caroline Womble, but LaGrange took a 6-5 lead scoring two in the bottom half of the inning. The Pacers were on the ropes, down to their final out with a runner on first, until freshman
Lindsey Coley put the Pacers on top, 7-6, with her first career home run.
Morgan Farmer (11-1) worked out of trouble in the seventh for her conference leading 11th win of the season. Farmer gave up six runs (five earned) on eight hits, eight walks and three strikeouts. It was Farmer's ninth complete game of the season, which is tied for third most in the league.
Coley finished the game 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored.
Morgan Bryant also finished 2-for-4 and drove herself home with a solo shot in the third that sparked a four-run inning.
Kelsey Durham went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate and scored a run in the third.
Emily Cauldwell (1-3) was pinned with the loss, throwing the final four frames in relief of starter Dani Gravett. Cauldwell surrendered three runs on seven hits and a strikeout.
Gravett led LaGrange at the plate with a pair of hits, three RBIs and a run scored after she connected for a two-run homer in the sixth.
Game Two: William Peace 4, LaGrange 3 (8 innings)Bryant hit her second home run of the day and her fifth of the season to give the Pacers a 3-2 edge in the sixth, but LaGrange (6-9, 1-5 USAS) forced extras with a run in the bottom of the seventh. Once again though, Coley came through in the clutch with a two-out RBI single in the top of the eighth, and then
Kim Cook retired the side in order to close it out in the eighth.
Cook (3-0) earned the win in relief of Durham after she entered the game in the seventh and escaped
a bases-loaded jam. Cook struck out three and walked two in two innings. Durham threw well even though she didn't factor into the decision. She held LaGrange to three runs on seven hits, two walks and four strikeouts in six innings.
Coley went 3-for-4, drove in a run and was on base for Bryant's fifth-inning homer. Womble added two hits and an RBI in the top of the second.
Heather McLean had two hits as well, while
Lindsey Wiggins and
Brittany Propri chipped in with one hit apiece.
Kara Patterson (1-1) was tacked with the loss, despite turning in a solid start. Patterson tossed all eight and gave up four runs on 10 hits, two walks and two strikeouts.
Gavett finished with two more hits, including a solo homer in the third for her second dinger of the day. Sydney Hodorff was the only other Panther to record multiple hits.
The WPU softball team turns around tomorrow for another doubleheader at Huntingdon, who comes into Sunday 10-10 overall with a 4-2 conference mark. First pitch is at 1:00 p.m.
For the latest news and updates from William Peace University Athletics, please visit:
http://gopeacepacers.com/.
