BRUNSWICK, Ga. - The College of Coastal Georgia swept their double header with the Brewton Parker Barons, winning game one 10-2 in five innings before grinding out a 3-1 win in game two.
Game One: Coastal Georgia 10, Brewton-Parker 2
Both offenses came out swinging from the first pitch, as the Barons (0-0) took a one run lead in the top of the first inning. After a leadoff single by A. Bradshaw, a sac bunt immediately moved her to second. With one out, Bradshaw advanced to third on a passed ball, and later scored on a T. Wright single. Starter Bryce Peacock was able to limit the damage to just one, as the Mariners (0-0) trailed going into the bottom half.
In the bottom half, CCGA wasted no time evening the game. Rori Rhodes started the inning off, reaching on a hit by pitch, setting the table for the heart of the Mariners order. Peacock reached on a single, and in the very next at bat, Rylee Mills singled home Rhodes to tie the game. With two on and one out, the Mariners were unable to add on, and we went to the second inning tied at one.
Both sides went quiet in the second, and with Peacock now finding her groove in the circle, the Mariners offense struck again in the bottom of the third inning. Rhodes once again started the rally, this time getting back-to-back singles with Peacock. After Mills was hit by a pitch, the Mariners had the bases loaded with just one out. With MacKenzie Kagee popped out, and with two outs, Zoe Johnston-Hadaway singled to third and scored Rhodes to give the Mariners a 2-1 lead. The one run is all that CCGA would get in the inning, and we went to the fourth with Coastal Georgia leading 2-1.
Peacock once again put up a zero in the circle, and sent her offense back in to work in the bottom of the fourth. The Mariners got the bases loaded once again, via a free pass to Alyssa Haggerty, a bunt single from Mackenzie Southerland, and a hit by pitch from Rhodes, the latter chasing Brewton Parker's starter, O'Neal, from the game. With the bases loaded and a new pitcher, Peacock welcomed her to the game the best way she knew how with a double off the wall in center, scoring a pair, and making the Mariners lead 4-1. Later in the inning, Rhodes came around to score her third run of the day on a passed ball to extend the lead to 5-1. CCGA was not done there, as Johnston-Hadaway singled into center, scoring Peacock to make the score 6-1. Brewton-Parker limited the damage at that point getting Emma Jones to fly out, but CCGA had a massive inning scoring four runs on just three hits.
Brewton-Parker did chip away in the top of the fifth, scoring once after back-to-back walks were followed up with back-to-back singles. Peacock settled in once again to get the final two outs of the inning and preserve the 6-2 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, after Haggerty popped out to begin the inning, six straight Mariners reached base, the biggest hit being a single off the wall from Kagee. Needing just one run to end the game early, Johnston-Hadaway sent a sac fly into center, scoring Courtney Beck, and securing the 10-2 victory in game one for CCGA.
Peacock picked up her seventh win of the season going five innings allowing just four hits and two earned runs with five strikeouts. The senior from Baxley also did it at the plate going 3-3 with a walk, run scored, and three RBI's. Johnston-Hadaway finished with two hits and a pair of RBI's, and Rylee Mills added a pair of RBI's herself. Rhodes was a star on the base paths for the Mariners, scoring four of the 10 runs herself.
Game Two: Coastal Georgia 3, Brewton-Parker 1
The first hit for either side didn't come until the bottom of the second inning when Rily Andrews singled with one out. After a fielder's choice and a stolen base from Haggerty, a single from Julianna Batts put runners at the corners with two outs. Sarah Thinger was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but a fielders choice groundout by Rhodes ended the threat in the second.
Neither side threatened again until the top of the fourth. After a leadoff bunt single, Bradshaw stole second to put a runner in scoring position with no outs. Mills, who started the game for CCGA, settled in and got the next three batters out in order to keep the score tied.
In the bottom half, Andrews singled to begin the inning and advanced to second on an error by the left fielder. A sac bunt from Haggerty sent Andrews to third who scored later on a single from Batts. Thinger moved Batts to second with another sac bunt, but she was stranded on a Rhodes fly out as we went to the fifth with CCGA leading 1-0.
Both sides once again were quiet, this time all the way until the top of the sixth. Mills got the first two outs easily, and then ran into trouble for the first time all afternoon, as three straight singles from the Barons finally broke them through, tying the game at one a piece.
CCGA answered right back in the bottom of the sixth. Andrews reached first on an error and was followed up by a single from Haggerty. Batts then came up and reached on a throwing error which scored Andrews. Later in the inning, Thinger laid down a beautiful sac bunt to score Haggerty and extend the lead to 3-1, which is where the lead stood going into the seventh and final inning.
In the seventh, Mills sat down the Barons in order to finish the game and secure the double-header sweep for the Mariners.
Andrews and Batts both finished with two hits each, while Mills pitched a complete game allowing just five hits and one earned run to secure her fourth win of the season.
The Mariners are back in action on March 12 when they travel to Macon for a battle with Wesleyan. First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m.
