Sarah Olin, Staff Writer
The Armstrong State Pirates’ softball team capped off another successful weekend as they took three of their four games against Peach Belt Conference opponents UNC Pembroke and Francis Marion.
The Pirates split a doubleheader with host UNC Pembroke on Saturday, April 9, coming up just short in the first game and dominating in the second.
In game one, the Braves took the lead in the third inning on a RBI single by Abby Walters, but Pirates’ senior Ashley Sterritt’s grounder brought home a run to tie the game in the fourth. The Braves broke the tie in the fifth inning with a pair of back-to-back RBI triples by Jamie Johnson and Whitney Jackson, bringing the final score to 3-1.
Katie Saunders took the win for the Braves, walking four, striking out one and limiting the Pirates to one run in her seven innings of work. Junior Tori Bates took the loss for the Pirates, allowing nine hits, three runs and striking out three in her six innings.
Game two was scoreless until the fifth inning when senior Michelle Breen notched a two-run home run to give the Pirates the lead 2-0. In the next inning, senior Peyton Roth delivered an RBI single, followed by Breen’s grand slam that brought the score to 7-0.
Junior Jane Trzaska took the win, limiting the Braves to three hits and no runs. Taylor Strickland took the loss for UNCP, giving up eight hits and seven runs.
On Sunday, April 10, the Pirates picked up a PBC doubleheader sweep against Francis Marion, defeating the Patriots 5-2 in game one, and 4-0 in game two.
The Patriots took the lead at 2-0 in the second inning but the Pirates quickly responded in the fourth with a two-RBI single by Sterritt. The Pirates took the lead in the sixth on an RBI single by sophomore Autumn Parrish and an RBI groundout by senior Sierra Newman.
Freshman Macy Coleman’s sacrifice fly added the final run in the seventh. Tori Bates picked up the win for the Pirates in game one, giving up five hits and two runs.
In game two, the Pirates broke the scoreless tie in the fifth on Roth’s RBI single, followed by freshman Logan Harrell’s solo home run in the sixth. Senior Hannah Reppert’s RBI single and Harrell’s sacrifice fly capped the game at 4-0 for the win.
Trzaska pitched a two-hit shut-out while striking out six to pick up the win for the Pirates. Samantha Wroblewsk took the loss for the Patriots, giving up eight hits and four runs in her seven innings of work.
The Pirates, now 32-10 overall and 16-4 in the conference, will face off against Georgia Southwestern at the Armstrong State softball field Saturday, April 16, at 1 p.m. It will be Senior Day for the Pirates. They close out the regular season against Columbus State on Sunday, April 17.
