ALBANY, Ga. -- Shannon Gibson threw her second no-hitter in eight days in game one and Lauren Kuerzi hit a go-ahead 2-run homer in the seventh inning of game two to lead the Georgia Southwestern State University softball team to a doubleheader sweep of Albany State Wednesday.
The two-game sweep marks six straight wins for the Lady Canes as they improved to 7-6 on the season.
How It Happened:
Game 1: Georgia Southwestern 13 Albany State 0
Gibson's dominance in the circle as of late continued against the Golden Rams. She went the full five innings, walking just three and striking out four to record her second no-hitter in the last three outings. She improved to 3-2 on the season and lowered her ERA to 1.93.
The Lady Canes scored at least one run in all five innings as Gibson helped her own cause, going 3-for-3 at the plate with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored. Hayley Tierce went 2-for-4 at the dish, blasting her team leading fifth homer of the season, a 2-run shot in the fifth.
Freshman outfielder Elizabeth Wills joined the hit parade with two of her own, including a 3-run bomb in the third inning to give GSW a 7-0 lead. It was the fourth home run of the season for Wills, moving her RBI total to nine on the year. Lauren Kuerzi also recorded two hits, while Mikela Barlow, Payton SIngletary, Allee Denney and Chole Zoeller each had a hit a piece.
GSW totaled season highs in hits (13), runs (13) and RBIs (12).
Game 2: Georgia Southwestern 2 Albany State 1
The Lady Canes got a strong start in the circle for the second game in a row, this time from Brittany Childs, who went the full seven innings and gave up just one earned run while scattering four hits and striking out seven. The only run came on a solo shot from Megan Shepherd in the fifth inning.
GSW struggled to find their bats against starter Lauren Lowery, who allowed just two hits and the two runs in seven innings while striking out two.
Freshman Lauren Kuerzi was the only one in the lineup who could get to Lowery. She led off the fifth inning with a single to center before handing the Lady Canes the victory in the seventh. After Cassidy Burton reached on an error to start the inning and Hayley Tierce flew out, Kuerzi blasted the 2-run shot over the fence giving Childs all the support she needed from the offense.
The two RBIs gave Kuerzi 11 on the season, moving her into second on the team behind Tierce's 18 and one ahead of Barlow's 10.
Up Next: GSW travels to LaGrange College for a two-game set beginning at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday.