AMERICUS - We kick off the top three Hurricane Highlights of the 2013 softball season with looking back at a pair of victories against highly ranked foes.
The No. 3 Hurricane Highlight came when the Lady Hurricanes earned home victories against then 13th-ranked Rollins College on February 9 and No. 4 Armstrong on March 14.
Southwestern notched the come-from-behind victory against Rollins College, 3-2, in the first game of the doubleheader at Lady 'Cane Field.
With the Tars leading 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Janna Anderson reached base on a single to center field while Rachel McElroy followed with a single of her own, advancing Anderson to third.
Shelley Sweatt loaded up the bases when the sophomore reached base on a walk leaving the late game heroics to sophomore Kiley Doster.
Doster came through in the clutch, singling to left field, scoring the game-winning runs as Georgia Southwestern (5-2) notched the late-game upset victory, 3-2.
GSW's starter Allison Pastor (3-1) picked up her third straight victory as the junior tossed a complete game, allowing two hits on 10 runs.
A month later, Pastor played a big role in Southwestern's other triumph over a highly ranked foe, this time it was against No. 4 Armstrong.
The Lady Hurricanes earned a 1-0 shutout victory over the Pirates at Lady 'Cane Field off a stellar pitching performance by the junior from Vero Beach, Florida.
Pastor threw a complete game-shutout allowing zero runs off five hits while striking out eight for the Blue and Gold against an Armstrong squad that was riding a nine-game winning streak.
The game turned into a pitcher's dual as AASU's starting pitcher Megan Barnwell (13-2) also had a strong effort as the senior allowed just one run off four hits while striking out three for the fourth-ranked Pirates.
The one run allowed by Barnwell proved to be the difference in the game as Southwestern's junior Nellie Moore lit up the scoreboard for the only time in the game off a lead-off home run to start the bottom of the third inning as Georgia Southwestern as Pastor continue to silence the Pirate bats as the Lady Hurricanes prevailed, 1-0.
Four different Lady 'Canes attributed for Southwestern's four runs in the game.
Stay tuned Wednesday as the No. 2 Hurricane Highlight of the 2013 GSW softball season will be revealed.