AMERICUS, Ga. -- The Georgia Southwestern State University softball team swept a doubleheader against Southern Wesleyan on Homecoming Saturday, pushing their win streak to four at Lady Canes Field.
GSW took the opener 9-1 in five innings behind a 3-for-3 game with a home run, two doubles and four RBIs from senior Hayley Tierce. Mikela Barlow went 3-for-4 with her first career grand slam in the second game as the Lady Canes held on for a 5-4 win.
The Lady Canes improved to 5-6 on the season with the sweep while Southern Wesleyan dropped to 3-9 overall.
Game 1: Georgia Southwestern 9 Southern Wesleyan 1 (5 Innings)
The GSW bats were alive right away to start the afternoon. After Barlow walked and Cassidy Burton dropped down a bunt single to start the game Tierce followed with a line drive double to center, clearing the bases and giving the Lady Canes a 2-1 lead before an out was recorded. Payton Singletary singled to left two batters later to score Tierce and make it 3-1 after one complete.
Barlow hit a sacrifice fly to center in the second to bring Graysen Sanders in from third after she doubled. GSW put up another crooked number in the third inning using the long ball. Tierce led off the inning with her fourth of the season, a solo shot to center and Elizabeth Wills hit a 2-run bomb that brought home Singletary and gave the Lady Canes a 7-1 lead.
Tierce picked up her third extra base hit of the game in the fourth when she doubled to left, driving in Barlow and making it an eight-run GSW lead.
The Lady Canes took the run-rule victory in the fifth when Sanders scored Singletary with a sacrifice to first making it 9-1.
Shannon Gibson picked up her second win of the season in the circle, going the full five innings while allowing just four hits and one unearned run to go along with three strikeouts.
Game 2: Georgia Southwestern 5 Southern Wesleyan 4
Madason Messer got the start for GSW and got through the first two innings without any damage while giving up just one hit. The Warriors struck first in the third, however, when Makaila Irby hit an RBI double to left making it 1-0.
The Lady Canes answered in the fourth thanks to the grand slam from Barlow. Singletary reached on a fielder's choice, Wills got on via an error by the second baseman and Chloe Zoeller was hit by a pitch before Barlow crushed one deep to center, making it 4-1 GSW.
Southern Wesleyan scored three runs on two hits and one Lady Cane error in the sixth to tie the game and force Ansley Dean to come on in relief of Messer. GSW got two runners on base in the bottom half, but were unable to push anything across.
Gibson led off the seventh with a single to center and advanced to second when Singletary reached on an error. The runners moved into scoring position on a Wills sac bunt and Gibson scored from third on a passed ball to secure the 5-4 win.
Messer got the victory, going five innings while giving up three earned runs on four hits. Ansley Dean picked up her first save of the season.
Up Next: GSW travels to Albany State for a doubleheader on Wednesday with first pitch scheduled for 3:00 p.m.