AU softball opens season with sweep of Catawba
By Joshua Picklesimer | Sports writer
It might have been a cold day in Augusta, but it certainly wasn’t for the Jaguar bats as the Jags plated 16 runs in a doubleheader in their season-opener on Saturday, Feb. 4.
AU won 11-0 in the opener and 5-1 in the second game.
In the first game, Alissa Bolinger pitched a two-hitter while strike out six. Bailee Roberts went 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs and five RBI. Paige Patterson and Lauren Slade each added two hits for AU.
Augusta kicked off the scoring in the bottom of the second inning with a seven-run rally. It was a rough day for Indian pitcher Alexandra Baquie. Not only did she give up an RBI double to AU’s Bobbi Poff but also surrendered a two-run homer to Roberts. Baquie also had several throwing errors to first base, giving the Jaguars a 7-0 lead going into the third inning.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Roberts went deep again with a 3-run blast over the left field wall. The scoring continued with an RBI double by Lauren Barrett, and that brought the score to 11-0 in favor of the Jaguars.
AU Coach Melissa Brocato said she appreciated Roberts’ power.
“She’s just doing what she does,” Brocato said. “She’s a good hitter, and I’m not surprised at all.”
In the second game, Augusta starter Ansley Gibson struck out six batters in the first three innings to continue the streak of no runs given up by the Jaguars.
In the bottom of the third, the Jaguars plated the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly to center field by catcher Paige Patterson, giving AU the early 1-0 lead.
The Jaguars then added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth with a RBI single into center field by Slade. Also, Roberts stayed hot with hitting a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to score another run for the Jags, making it a 4-0 lead.
Catawba finally got on the score board with a home run in the sixth inning by Christina Brendle to make it 4-1.
Things got a little dicey in the inning as the Indians put on two runners with no outs, but Gibson hunkered down and got the next three outs to keep the score 4-1.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Jaguars got themselves an insurance run with a RBI single by Patterson.
Brocato praised Gibson for her strong outing, as the first-year pitcher from Lakeside High School had eight strikeouts and allowed just six hits in seven innings.
“She had a great performance for a freshman in her first college game,” Brocato said. “It was actually first college win, which is always nice, especially since she’s a local girl. This team genuinely loves each other and you can tell that by just watching none of them have to fake it, we’re truly lucky to get a group like this.”
AU lost on the road to Francis Marion, on Sunday, Feb. 5, by a 19-11 score. Roberts went 3-for-3 with a homer and six RBI. Patterson had two doubles and three RBI. In the finale, FMU won 5-4 in a seesaw contest. Roberts had an RBI triple, and Barrett had two hits and three RBI for the Jaguars.
The Jaguars will host Newberry College on Tuesday, Feb. 7. First pitch is at 1 p.m.
Contact Joshua Picklesimer at jpicklesimer@augusta.edu.
Alissa Bolinger had a two-hitter with six strikeouts as AU opened the season with an 11-0 victory over Catawba. At the top of the page, Bobbi Poff gets a hit for the Jaguars. (photos by Madison Keel)
