THOMASVILLE, Ga. — Emilia Clemons and Brooke Perdue combined to shut out Thomas University on three hits as the College of Coastal Georgia swept the day's doubleheader with a 3-0 victory at Armory Field on Saturday, pushing the Mariners' perfect record to 8-0 on the season.
The pitching duo was dominant from start to finish. Clemons took the ball first, working five innings and allowing just one hit while striking out two and walking three. Despite the free passes, she was consistently able to work out of trouble, keeping Thomas off the scoreboard throughout her outing to improve to 4-0. Perdue closed things out with two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out one to earn her first save of the season. The two combined to hold Thomas to a .125 batting average on the day and never once allowed the Nighthawks to threaten seriously with runners in scoring position.
Offensively, CCGA manufactured runs in three separate innings through a blend of timely hitting, aggressive baserunning, and opportunistic play. Ashley Stanley was the quiet hero of the afternoon, driving in two of the team's three runs. She opened her account in the second inning with a sacrifice fly that scored Perdue, who had reached on a single and advanced on a wild pitch, and then came through again in the fourth with an RBI single that plated Perdue once more. Perdue, fitting for a player who also starred in the circle, scored both of those runs after reaching base each time, finishing the day 2-for-3 and crossing the plate twice.
The third run came in the fifth on heads-up situational baseball. Emma Jones led off with a double to left-center, advanced to third on a Rylee Mills sacrifice bunt, and then scored on a wild pitch to give the Mariners a three-run cushion that proved more than enough.
Jones was solid at the plate overall, going 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored, while Kaitlyn Carolino and Rily Andrews each added hits to keep the lineup moving. The Mariners finished with seven hits and showed the kind of balanced, disciplined approach that has characterized their undefeated start — taking what the defense gives them, moving runners, and letting their pitching staff do the rest.
With the sweep of Thomas, Coastal Georgia heads into the week riding an 8-0 record and a pitching staff that has shown remarkable depth and versatility through the early portion of the schedule.
