AU softball swept by Tusculum in doubleheader; Roberts, Moody homer twice
Justin Gray | Sports editor
The Augusta Jaguars softball dropped both games of their doubleheader with undefeated Tusculum on Monday, Feb. 17, by scores of 4-2 and 13-9.
Before this two-game set, the Jaguars had won seven of their last eight, including two wins over ninth-ranked Francis Marion.
Tusculum has been a dominant force this season as the Pioneers improved to 12-0 after the wins over Augusta.
In game one, it was a pitcher’s duel, well for most of it.
Pioneer pitcher Megan Ackerman was magnificent, going four innings, allowing only one run and picking up the win.
Not only did she look great in the circle, she hit a two-run home run in the second inning, which would be the difference in the end.
Tusculum tacked on one in the third inning and the fifth to make it a 4-0 game.
The Jaguars finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth with a solo shot off the bat of Kelsea Moody, her first of the season.
In the next frame, the Jaguars would bring home another run in the form of an RBI sac bunt off the bat of Ansley Gibson to cut the deficit to 4-2.
Augusta was down to its final inning and loaded the bases, bringing up Bobbi Poff and Bailee Roberts, a dream scenario.
Unfortunately for AU, the pitcher Natalie Spaitis got the best of both, getting a pop up and groundout to end the game.
Game two was on the opposite end, an offensive game.
Tusculum got the scoring started in the first with a grand slam off the bat of Gabi Nicholson.
Roberts, who went 4-for-8 in the doubleheader, put the Jags on the board in the bottom half of the inning with a solo shot. As you can see the ball was flying out the yard in this one.
The Pioneers responded with three more runs to make it a 7-1 game and it looked like they may run away with it.
But the resilient Jaguars wouldn’t let them, as they brought six runs to the plate the third inning to tie the game.
The following inning, Roberts would leave the yard again. She is one of the best players in the Peach Belt Conference, and she showed her power on Monday.
This solo homer gave AU the lead, but it didn’t last long as Tusculum regained the lead with three runs in the fifth.
The Jaguars only scored one more run in this one off of another solo shot from Kelsea Moody.
Tusculum’s Hailey Nichols hit a three-run blast in the seventh to put this one out of reach.
This AU team has had a phenomenal start to the season, and these games hurt to drop because they were so close. Still, there was nothing to hang their heads about.
AU Coach Melissa Brocato was proud of the team’s fight.
“Resilience is one of the things the team set out to be known for,” said the coach in her 27th year with the Jaguars. “We just need to tidy up a few things on defense and pitching. I think we’re hitting well and are getting lots of opportunities to score, but we’re leaving too many runners on.”
Brocato won her 600th career game on Feb. 4 when the Jaguars defeated Erskine.
This Jaguar team will have a chance to work on those things this weekend as they play four games up in Hickory, N.C.
They will take on Young Harris, West Liberty, Lenoir-Rhyne and Assumption in that order. They will play two on Saturday, Feb. 22, and the next two the following day.
Contact Justin Gray at jusgray@augusta.edu.
