LAGRANGE, Ga. – It had been five days since the Georgia Southwestern Lady Hurricanes had last played. During that break, inclement weather had forced the postponement of four total games to be played during that time. The Blue & Gold finally got back into action at LaGrange College on Sunday, and the Lady 'Canes, led by Jessica Martin, took no time getting after it. The Lady Hurricanes went on to sweep LaGrange by scores of 2-0 and 7-1.
GAME ONE: Georgia Southwestern-2 LaGrange College-0
It didn't matter if GSW scored one or ten runs in this game because Jessica Martin was dominant on the mound. The senior from Woodstock would no-hit LaGrange going all seven innings, walking three and striking out nine for the complete game no-hitter.
Offense was few and far between for both teams in the first three innings of the game. Both starting pitchers, Kayla Folds from LaGrange and Martin from GSW, would throw no-hit ball through their first three innings. Martin appeared to have eaten her Wheaties as she recorded six strikeouts in the first three innings.
Georgia Southwestern would strike first after Avery Purser and Rachel McElroy would get the game's first hits. Shortstop Janna Anderson would deliver a clutch two-out RBI single, which scored Purser in the top of the fourth inning.
Kayla Folds would continue to keep Coach Ward and company at bay, and she would do so until the top of the 7th inning when Jessica Chewning would score on an error. The 2-0 lead would hold as Martin would overcome a Mason Moreland error and a walk to close the door in the ninth with two strikeouts to complete the no-hitter.
Martin's win puts her record to 4-2 on the season. Her no-hitter is her second in a Georgia Southwestern uniform. The senior no-hit Anderson University in March of 2009, and she helped Katie Mueller to combine for a no-hitter against Wesleyan College on February 27th of 2010. Martin has either recorded or assisted in every no-hitter thrown by Georgia Southwestern in the NCAA Division II era.
GAME TWO: Georgia Southwestern-7 LaGrange College-1
While waiting for four innings to score in game one, the Lady Hurricanes wouldn't let any time pass before scoring in game two. The Blue & Gold would score three runs in the initial inning courtesy of RBI's from Rachel McElroy (1) and Katie Wooten (2).
GSW would push the three-run lead to four runs when Mason Moreland stole second base and then came around to score on an error by LaGrange. The one-run second inning by GSW was answered by LaGrange with their own one-run second inning when Jordan Berryman singled in Kelbi Burgering.
The Lady Hurricanes would never look back up 4-1. They would get three more insurance runs in the sixth inning as Mason Moreland would drive in Erin Vick. Two batters later, Gabby Buck would drive in two runs with a single that scored Moreland and Kiley Doster.
After pitching the first five innings, Casey Burns would leave the game surrendering only one run and a walk while striking out six. Fellow senior pitcher Katie Maddox would throw the last two innings of the game closing the door on LaGrange without giving up a hit and racking up four strikeouts.
The pair of wins pushes the Georgia Southwestern record to an even ten wins and ten losses. The Lady 'Canes will have one more non-conference series with Lynn University before beginning PBC play. Lynn University will pay a visit to GSW at Lady Canes Field on Wednesday, March 7 with the first p itch being at 4:00 p.m.