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2012 PBC Softball Team Notes - April 16

 

Armstrong Atlantic State  (41-8, 17-1) -- No. 6-ranked Armstrong clinched a share of its second PBC regular season softball title with four wins this week ... The Pirates need just one win in Tuesday's doubleheader at Francis Marion to win the title outright. Armstrong tied for the 2000 regular season title with Kennesaw State with an 18-2 league mark ... The Pirates won twice on Friday at USC Aiken, 7-2 and 6-1, as senior Whitney Galloway drove in seven runs in the pair of wins ... Armstrong then swept Augusta State with 11-4 and 3-2 wins on Sunday ... Senior April Jowers finished the week 8-for-13, setting a new Peach Belt single season hits record with 97, passing Keri McKee of Kennesaw State (95) and bringing her within four hits of the PBC's all-time hit record of 330 set by Lander's Brantley Mack. Jowers is now tied for ninth all-time in NCAA Division II history with 326 career hits, tied with Kim Kouri of Augustana (SD) ... Senior Baillie Temples smacked two home runs in the 11-4 win over Augusta State and is now tied with teammate Whitney Galloway for the PBC's RBI lead as both players have 47, tied for fourth-most in a single season in Armstrong softball history.
 

 Augusta State (30-14, 11-7) -- Augusta State went 2-2 on the week, taking down Flagler 2-1 and 3-0 before falling 11-4 and 3-2 to No. 6 Armstrong Atlantic…The Jaguars were boosted by two dominant pitching performances against the Saints…Emily Headrick outdueled Donna Manufo, allowing just three hits and one unearned run while striking out five for her 15th win of the season…Jessica Thornton bombed a two-run shot to left center for all the offense ASU needed in that one…Heather Hughes followed with her third complete-game shutout of the year, allowing five baserunners all game for her 10th win on the year…Sophomore Macy Terry enjoyed a solid weekend, going 4-for-11 with a hit in each game and driving home two runs in game two vs. Flagler…She finished the week with four RBI…Kristen Jones and Kacee Camp each blasted a solo shot against AASU in game one, while Hughes had an RBI triple…For the season, Camp continues to rank in the top ten in doubles (4th), triples (4th), batting average (5th), slugging percentage (7th), on-base percentage (8th), hits (8th), total bases (9th), and runs (10th)…She is also 15th with 10 steals and 20th with 27 RBI…Thornton is 2nd with 26 stolen bases, 7th with a .452 OBP, 8th with 20 walks, and 9th with 33 runs scored…Headrick’s season line puts her near the top as well: 15 wins (8th), three saves (2nd), four shutouts (5th), 104 strikeouts (9th), and opponents hitting .202 against her (11th).
 

 

 Columbus State (34-18, 9-9) -- Columbus State was in playoff mode this past week going 7-1 including a 3-1 mark in PBC play as they looked to secure a favorable seed in the upcoming Peach Belt Conference Tournament as well as a NCAA Tournament bid...Highlighting the mid-week non-conference action was Taylor Turner’s first career no-hitter as she allowed just two walks in game two versus West Georgia (4/11)…In the same ballgame, Casey Googe hit a pair of homeruns to break Columbus State’s single-season homerun record with her 18th bomb of the year…Entering weekend play, she ranked second nationally in homeruns…In game two versus UNC Pembroke (4/14), Kori Waugh hit a seventh inning long fly to give CSU 59 homers on the season, breaking the team’s single-season team record of 58 set in 2007, the same year they advanced to the College World Series…In game one against Francis Marion (4/15), Morgan Staffins hit a walk-off homerun in the seventh inning to propel the Lady Cougars to a 1-0 victory…In game two, Staffins again delivered driving in the game-winning run in the sixth inning and Waugh provided an insurance run as Columbus State won 3-1…For the week, Taylor Turner went 2-0 with a 0.47 ERA over 15 innings as she surrendered just eight hits…As a team, CSU posted a 0.55 earned run average as Kelsey Gilliam (0.78 ERA, 9 IP) and Kristen Carr (0.00 ERA, 6 IP) were also lights out…Five different Lady Cougars hit over .350 for the week led by Googe’s .440 (11-for-25) mark.
 

 Flagler (34-16, 11-9) -- The Flagler softball team is on a five-game losing streak as the regular season came to a close last Saturday at Augusta State. The Saints were swept by the Jaguars 2-1 and 3-0. The Saints finish the regular season with a 34-16 record and an 11-9 mark in conference play. They will wait to see where they will be seeded for next weekend’s Peach Belt Conference Tournament in Columbus, Ga. Robyn Draper went 3-for-6 with a double for Flagler in the twinbill on Saturday at Augusta State. Alona Personius singled, doubled and scored Flagler’s only run. Lauren Bessent singled twice and drove in a run. Katie Enright made two appearances, both in relief, and tossed four shutout innings. Flagler was held to a .163 batting average in the doubleheader and collected eight hits.
 

 Francis Marion (31-15, 8-8) -- FMU split six road games last week....The team’s 31 wins exceeds last year’s total.... FMU has won at least 30 games 12 of the last 15 campaigns…Sophomore Taylor Luff (9-4) went 2-1 last week with a 0.69 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 20.1 innings....FMU pitchers fanned 49 batters in 39.1 innings last week...Junior C Olivia Ferguson batted .333 last week....Junior 3B Tristan Faile leads the team with a .380 season average, including 26-for-54 with runners in scoring position....After hitting 12 homers in 12 games, FMU was homerless last week....Senior 2B Ashley Jaramillo, a two-time All-PBC pick, leads the team with 38 RBIs, and along with Faile leads the squad with 6 homers. Jaramillo has 24 RBIs in her last 29 opportunities to drive in a run with a runner on third and less than two outs....Senior RHP Kayla Ellingsen (11-6) has allowed only 7 earned runs in her past 55.1 innings....Luff has 107 strikeouts in only 83 innings....Senior OF Destinea Schneider, an All-Region and All-PBC choice last year, drove in a combined 13 runs in her previous two seasons. This year, she already has 14 RBIs and is hitting .440 with runners in scoring position. She is 15-for-16 in SBs.....FMU has outscored its opponents 48-3 in the fifth inning.
 

 Georgia College (25-21, 9-9) --  The Bobcats finished the week 2-2, after sweeping Peach Belt Conference (PBC) foe Lander University, 4-0 and 4-3 ... The Bobcats began the week getting swept by No. 13 North Georgia, 2-1 and 9-1 ... Sabrina Chandler was the lone bright spot tossing a complete game, allowing only two earned runs ... The 'Cats were able to bounce back against Lander Friday afternoon picking up two huge PBC wins ... Game one was dominated by Chandler's solid pitching performance ... Chandler (9-9) went the distance, scattering eight hits and striking out four in the shutout ... Sophomore Whitney Okvist stole home to give GC the 1-0 lead early ... A costly error in the fifth allowed the Bobcats to push two more across for the eventual 4-0 victory ... In game two the Bobcats found themselves down 3-0 after the third inning ... Haley Burnett came in to relieve freshman Erica Bell throwing the final 4 2/3 innings, striking out three and surrendering no runs. Burnett evened her record to 7-7 on the season ... Burnett also came up huge at the plate driving in one in the fourth and then hitting a game-tying solo shot in the sixth, her fifth of the season. Okvist completed the comeback with a walk-off single, plating pinch runner Natalie Lampert ... Okvist's GC single-season stolen base record (51) leads the PBC this year, and her career number sits at 73, which is the all-time GC record ... The sophomore's single-season effort is tied for third in PBC history; the seven-year-old record is 56 ... Burnett's two RBI puts her at 111 for her career tied with Keidra Baitey (2006-07) for second place all-time at GC ... She is currently fourth on the all-time home run list at GC with 23, one behind first place in GC history ... The Bobcats wrap up their season Tuesday, April 17 against Columbus State University, a doubleheader set to start at 3 p.m.
 

Georgia Southwestern (22-30, 4-16) -- It was a busy week for the Georgia Southwestern Lady Hurricanes in their final week of the 2012 season. Their eight-game week was a split decision overall winning four and losing four games. GSW captured three wins in their four non-conference games and just one win in their four Peach Belt Conference games. Their only conference win of the week was a four-run win over UNC Pembroke, but they would see some heartbreak in two of their three conference losses. The Lady ‘Canes would suffer one-run setbacks against both UNC Pembroke and Francis Marion one day before. Gabby Buck would be the leading hitter for GSW as the senior would end her career batting .375 with one home run and eight runs batted in for the week. It would be a proper send off for the third baseman who will leave GSW as the NCAA Division II era All-Time leader in six different categories. She leaves the program never missing a game in her four-year career, which is good for 203 consecutive starts. Georgia Southwestern finished the season with a mark of 22-30 (4-16 PBC). The 22 total wins ties the overall wins record for a season in the NCAA Division II era. The eight-game final week was the final weeks of the careers of six Lady Hurricane seniors: Katie Wooten, Katie Maddox, Gabby Buck, Casey Burns, Jessica Martin and Jessica Chewning. 
   Lander (26-26, 4-16) -- Lander finished its season after going 2-4 during the week. The Bearcats opened the week with a 5-0, 5-1 doubleheader sweep at Young Harris, then dropped a pair of Peach Belt Conference doubleheaders at Georgia College (4-0 and 4-3) and at home against No. 13 North Georgia (3-1 and 2-1). Lander Hall of Fame coach Doug Spears, who came out of a seven-year retirement to coach this year’s team on a one-year interim basis, finishes his 25th year of coaching with 829 victories. The season also brought an end to the career of pitcher Hayley Leissner. Leissner leaves Lander as its all-time leader in strikeouts both in a career (741) and a season (226). She also holds the school record for appearances with 136, is second in shutouts (18), and third in innings pitched (702.2). Leissner finished the season 13-14 overall with eight of her losses by one run. She posted a 1.33 ERA and had 151 strikeouts in 173.1 innings pitched. Junior second baseman and leadoff hitter Brittney Sheriff led the Bearcats at the plate as she batted .405 with eight doubles, four triples and 13 RBI. Sophomore center fielder Jaime Presnell (.305) led the team in home runs (5) and RBI (30).
 

 North Georgia (41-7, 15-3) --  The No. 13-ranked North Georgia softball team, which is also now currently ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Southeast Region, had a perfect record over the past week. The Saints got sweeps over Georgia College, UNC Pembroke, USC Aiken and Lander. They outscored those opponents 42-9 over the eight games, picking up some much needed momentum to end the 2012 season. They pushed their winning streak to 11 games, which included five shutouts. Led by Karlie Gillam, Hilary Cox and Kayla Minger, the offense is picking up some steam down the stretch. Melissa Dickie continues to dominate her opponents in the circle, pushing her perfect record to 16-0. North Georgia has locked up the No. 2 seed in the upcoming conference tournament, with an outside shot at the No. 1 seed. They wrap up their season with a home doubleheader against Francis Marion on Thursday, then head to Columbus this weekend for the PBC Tournament.
 

 UNC Pembroke (16-31, 5-15) --  The Lady Braves went 2-6 during the final week of regular season action … UNCP fell in both games to region opponent Queens as the Royals posted an 8-0 shutout victory in five innings in the first game of the doubleheader and 2-1 in game two …  With more than a week elapsed between the start and the conclusion of the game, the UNCP dropped the first game of the doubleheader, 8-0, to No. 13 North Georgia on Thursday evening in six innings … The Black and Gold registered only two hits as the Saints ran over UNCP with the series sweep after a 3-0 shutout victory in game two of the series … On Saturday, the Columbus State Cougars had a 3-0 shutout victory against the Lady Braves in the first game of the doubleheader … In game two,  Brea Hartley's homerun in the first at-bat of the game and Ashley Harrell's run in the fourth inning was monumental for UNCP as the Lady Braves captured the 2-1 victory to split the series … On Sunday, Georgia Southwestern beat UNCP, 4-0, in the first game of the doubleheader … Junior Holly Berry scored the game-winning run as Hartley crossed home plate to deliver the UNCP softball team the final victory of the season over Georgia Southwestern to split the series with a 3-2 victory in game two.
 

 USC Aiken (24-15, 9-9) --  The University of South Carolina Aiken softball team concluded last week with a 1-5 record … USC Aiken (24-15, 9-9 PBC) opened the week by splitting a non-conference doubleheader with Brevard on Wednesday, April 11 … The Pacers then dropped two at home to No. 6 Armstrong Atlantic State on Friday, April 13 … One day later on Saturday, April 14, USC Aiken fell twice to No. 13 North Georgia … Last week, USC Aiken sophomore pitcher India Kornegay (Eufaula, Ala./Eufaula HS) set the USC Aiken school single-season record for strikeouts … She currently has 233 strikeouts this season … Kornegay also set the USC Aiken career strikeout total … Kornegay presently has 452 in her career … Her current strikeout total already places her in the top-15 in Peach Belt Conference history in the category … USC Aiken will next close out its 2012 regular season with a home doubleheader against Augusta State on Tuesday, April 17 … The doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.

 

The University of South Carolina Aiken softball team concluded its 2011 season by earning a trip to its second NCAA Division II Southeast Regional in the last three seasons … The Pacers finished their campaign in 2011 with a record of 26-18 … Playing in one of the toughest conferences in all of NCAA Division II softball, the Peach Belt Conference, the Pacers were 9-11 … USC Aiken enters its 2012 campaign feeling as if they have a strong chance to compete for the crown in the Peach Belt Conference … The Pacers welcome back eight starters and 11 letterwinners … Couple that with a strong incoming class and the feelings are justified … If USC Aiken is able to navigate a tough schedule, then the Pacers will have the opportunity to participate in the NCAA Southeast Regionals for the third time in the last four years … The 2012 Pacer softball schedule features 14 home doubleheaders at J.H. Satcher Field to go along with a full Peach Belt Conference slate … The Pacers will open the 2012 season on the road against Catawba on Saturday, Feb. 18 … The first Pacer home twinbill of the year will feature USC Aiken squaring off against Queens on Sunday, Feb. 19 … The two programs will open the doubleheader at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 19.