AMERICUS, Ga. -- The Lady Canes poured it on late in a 7-1 win over USC Aiken in game one and got an Elizabeth Wills walk-off single in the ninth for a 6-5 victory in game two on the way to sweeping a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader Saturday at Lady Canes Field.
Georgia Southwestern improved to 13-18 overall and 2-4 in conference play after getting the first Peach Belt victories of first year head coach Nicki Levering's career. USC Aiken fell to 8-22 overall and 1-3 in PBC play.
How It Happened:
Game 1: Georgia Southwestern 7 USC Aiken 1
Madason Messer got the start in the circle for the Lady Canes and turned in one of her best performances of the season. Messer threw a complete game, allowing just one run on eight hits while striking out three to earn her fifth win of the season.
The game was tied 1-1 heading to the bottom of the fifth before the GSW bats got going late. Lyndie Dorgan replaced Caroline Cockrell in the circle to start the inning and Mikela Barlow got the rally going with a single to right field. One out later Barlow stole second and scored on a Lauren Kuerzi RBI single to center on what proved to be the game-winning run. Shannon Gibson hit her first homer of the season, a 2-run shot to center making it 4-1 GSW after five full.
GSW added more insurance for Messer in the sixth when Hayley Tierce hit her 12th homer of the season and 40th of her career, a 3-run bomb deep over the fence in centerfield to make it 7-1. It was Tierce's fourth homer in as many games as she upped her RBI total to 38 this spring.
Dorgan took the loss for the Pacers, falling to 3-8 on the season after allowing 4 runs on five hits in three innings.
Game 2: Georgia Southwestern 6 USC Aiken 5
Messer started in the circle for the second straight game, but didn't have the same success against the Pacer lineup. Hannah Price hit a 2-run homer in the first to give USCA an early lead after getting just the one run off Messer in game one. The Lady Canes loaded the bases in the bottom half and got a run on a Wills RBI walk, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the threat to make it 2-1 after the first inning.
Two straight singles in the third forced Levering to go to the pen for the first time and bring in Brittany Childs. A fielder's choice followed by a Sydney Murphy RBI double and Chandler Terrapin RBI single gave the Pacers a 4-1 lead.
GSW answered back again in the bottom half of the third thanks to Wills. The freshman from Orlando, Fla., hit her seventh homer of the season, a 2-run shot to center cutting the lead to 4-3. Wills is now second on the team in batting average, home runs and slugging percentage.
After four straight scoreless innings it was Wills again who got the big hit and sen the game to extra innings. After Tierce doubled to get the tying run to second base Wills followed with a 2-out RBI single to center to bring around Tierce and send the game to extras tied at four.
USCA got a run in the eighth to retake the lead before Chloe Zoeller answered to extend the game again. Graysen Sanders hit a 1-out single before Zoeller came up big with an RBI double down the left field line to knot the game again 5-5.
Ansley Dean set the Pacers down in order in the top of the ninth and Wills won the game in the bottom half with her fifth RBI of the game. Tierce led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch before Wills brought her home on a walk-off single to right for the 6-5 victory.
Dean got her first win of the season, going three innings while allowing just one run on two hits while striking out three. Hannah Price was a tough luck loser for the Pacers, falling to 2-6 after throwing 187 pitches in 8.1 innings. She allowed six runs while walking eight and striking out nine.
Up Next: GSW welcomes Lander to Lady Canes Field for a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. with the second game to follow at 2:00 p.m.