Emilia Clemons was dominant on the mound and the Coastal Georgia offense picked up right where it left off Friday afternoon, rolling to a 9-0 mercy-rule victory over Webber International in five innings to take a commanding 2-0 series lead heading into Saturday's rubber match.
Clemons was sharp from the opening pitch, working four innings and allowing just three hits while striking out four and walking two. The sophomore right-hander kept Webber's lineup off balance throughout and never allowed the Warriors to seriously threaten, retiring the side in order in two of her four frames. McKenzie Collins came on to finish the fifth and closed things out without allowing an earned run. Combined, the two pitchers held Webber to three hits and no runs in a dominant team pitching performance.
The Mariners wasted no time offensively, jumping on Webber starter Chloe Rayner for three runs in the first inning. Kaitlyn Carolino drew a walk, stole second and then third, and scored on a Rily Andrews double that was helped along by a Webber error. Brooke Perdue followed immediately with a two-run double that made it 3-0 before the Warriors could settle in.
The fourth inning was the offensive highlight of the game. After Julianna Batts singled and Emma Jones laid down a sacrifice bunt to move her to third, Rylee Mills delivered a two-run double to make it 5-0. Andrews singled to keep the inning alive, and Mackenzie Southerland crushed a two-run double to center field that advanced all the way to third, pushing the lead to 7-0 and effectively ending any suspense about the outcome.
The fifth inning added two more runs for good measure when Jones doubled home Addison Knight and Rylie Smith to reach the nine-run mercy threshold and close the game out.
Andrews had another outstanding afternoon, going 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored, while Southerland finished 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI. Mills was equally productive with a double and two RBI in her limited at-bats, and Perdue added a double and two RBI in the first inning to set the tone early. Carolino continued her active ways on the bases with multiple stolen bases on the afternoon, and the entire roster contributed in what was another dominant performance. With the series lead secured, the Mariners will look to close things out Saturday and continue their impressive stretch of play heading into the back half of the season.
