BRUNSWICK, Ga. — The College of Coastal Georgia capped a dominant home doubleheader on Friday afternoon with a 13-0 mercy-rule victory over Florida Memorial in five innings, completing the sweep in emphatic fashion and sending the Lions home without a single run to show for the nightcap. Combined with the 14-1 win in the opener, the Mariners outscored Florida Memorial 27-1 on the day in a performance that left little question about the gap between the two programs.
The pitching staff was utterly dominant from start to finish. Emilia Clemons opened the game with two perfect-plus innings, striking out five of the seven batters she faced while walking two and allowing just one hit. Brooke Perdue followed with two equally impressive innings, striking out four and not allowing a single hit, and McKenzie Collins closed it out with a clean fifth inning. The trio combined to strike out eleven and held Florida Memorial to just two hits across five frames, with the Lions failing to push a single runner across home plate all game.
Offensively, the Mariners were relentless once again, scoring in each of the first four innings and punishing Florida Memorial's defense — which committed four errors — at every opportunity. Rily Andrews and Mackenzie Southerland each delivered RBI doubles in the first inning to get CCGA rolling, and the second inning was the highlight of the afternoon. Addison Knight stole home on a double steal to make it 4-0, Emma Jones singled home another run, and Andrews reached on an error that plated yet another before Southerland added an RBI single to push the advantage to 7-0 before Florida Memorial could blink.
The fourth inning saw five more runs cross the plate in another relentless offensive barrage. Kate Owens, entering as a pinch hitter, delivered the biggest hit of the frame with a two-run double that cleared the bases and pushed the lead to 11-0. Emerson Askew followed immediately with an RBI double of her own, and a Hannah Bailey walk later brought home another run to make it 13-0 and set up the mercy-rule finish.
Jones was outstanding at the plate, finishing 2-for-2 with two RBI and two runs scored, while Southerland went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI before being replaced in the third. Andrews added a double and two RBI, and Owens made the most of her pinch-hitting opportunity with a two-run double that was one of the biggest blows of the game. Knight and Askew each contributed doubles as well, and the entire roster once again saw meaningful playing time in a game that showcased the remarkable depth of this Mariner squad.
With the doubleheader sweep, Coastal Georgia has now won 15 of its first 17 games and is playing some of the most complete softball in the program's recent history heading into the heart of its schedule.
