FORT VALLEY, Ga.- Georgia Southwestern softball Head Coach Eddie Ward captured his 300th career win on Sunday when the Lady 'Canes swept Fort Valley State at Wildcat Stadium.
GSW improved to 12-10 overall while Fort Valley State dropped to 9-0.
GAME 1: GSW 12, FORT VALLEY STATE 1
Hayley Tierce hit a double to score Mikela Barlow early in the first to take a one-run lead. Fort Valley State tied it up in the bottom of the first off an error.
The Lady 'Canes came back with a huge second inning having six hits and scoring seven runs. Barlow hit a two-run single to score Sabrina Sieber and Emily Smith. Graysen Sanders and Barlow scored off an error by the right fielder, Tierce scored off a single from Joshlyn Martin, Martin scored off a single from Sieber and McCain scored off a single from Sanders.
GSW scored four more in the third to take an 11-run lead. Ella Hawkins scored off a single from Allee Denney, Tierce off a single from Martin, Denney off a single from Sieber and Martin off a single from Sanders.
GSW's pitching staff held off Fort Valley State and were able to close out the game in five innings.
Sieber was 3-for-4 at the plate while Tierce and Sanders were 2-for-3.
GSW finished with 13 hits and one error.
Shannon Gibson (W, 3-3) pitched five innings, faced 19 batters, struck out 10, scattered three hits and one run.
GAME 2: GSW 8, FORT VALLEY STATE 0
Sanders singled in the second to score Denney and hop on the board first. The game was quiet until the fourth when GSW pushed six across the plate to take a seven-run lead.
Sanders hit a two-run double to score McCain and Brittany Davis. Hawkins hit a two-run triple to score Sanders and Smith. Barlow tripled to score Hawkins and Tierce hit a sacrifice fly to score Barlow.
McCain scored off a single from Rebekah Davis in the fifth and GSW's defense held off Fort Valley State from scoring anymore runs to take another five-inning win.
Sanders was 2-for-3 at the plate.
GSW finished with eight hits and no errors.
Brittany Childs (W, 6-2) recorded her first shutout of the season. Childs faced 16 batters, struck out eight and gave up one hit.
The Lady 'Canes are home on Thursday in a non-conference doubleheader against Palm Beach Atlantic at 12:00 p.m.
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