By Anna Dresser ׀ Staff WriterAs per usual Augusta weather, the first day of spring brought rain and chilly temperatures that caused the Augusta University Lady Jag’s softball game on Saturday to be postponed.Instead, the Armstrong State University Pirates came for a double header on March 20 and left with two wins.The Lady Jags, who are currently undergoing a “rebuilding season,” according to Head Coach Melissa Brocato, lost the first game 4-2 and the second 12-3. At the top of the third inning, Armstrong had already scored three points, and two of them were homeruns. When the bottom of the third inning followed, the Lady Jags scored two points and had the opportunity to have a grand slam. 
However, when the bases were loaded with two outs, Casey Rowland, a senior, had a hit that went straight into the pitcher’s ankle, causing her to limp off the field, an out to be called and the inning to be over.The four remaining innings pertaining to runs were uneventful, but the Pirates scored the last point of the game in the sixth inning.Last season the Lady Jags had 32 wins and 14 losses, but this season has been a little more trying with only 12 wins and 26 losses. In addition, the team is preparing for a farewell to four of its senior players – Kristen Bagley, Haley Birkle, Paige Deschaine, and Casey Rowland – who all were honored at the game with flowers, keepsakes and the presence of their parents.
“They’re usually a good offensive team, but we weren’t expecting to shut them down completely,” Brocato said. “We expected that they would get some hits, but we just expected to score more runs.”Brocato also said they expected Armstrong to hit a lot of homeruns. Not only is Coach Evans a great hitting coach, but their team is known for admirable batting skills. Carolyn Edwards, first base player and a sophomore at Augusta University, said that despite the loss her team members are still “fighters” on the field.“I guess I kind of started off strong and my last to bat wasn’t what I wanted it to be, but I felt like I produced what I needed to, just not at the end,” Edwards said. Even though Sunday’s game did not end as anticipated, the Lady Jags pulled through with one win on March 21 against Flagler. The final scores were 2-1 Augusta and 2-0 Flagler.Contact Anna Dresser at:
adresser@augusta.edu.
