CARROLLTON, Ga. – It was a triumphant return to the diamond at University Field for the West Georgia Wolves softball team as the Wolves swept Christian Brothers in a Saturday doubleheader in the 2021 home opener.
The Wolves (4-1, 2-0 GSC) opened up conference play with a 5-3 victory in game one and then put up 15 runs in a 15-8, six-inning win in game two. The nightcap was highlighted by a 4-for-4 performance with two home runs and six RBIs from senior
Lexi Close.
Game One
West Georgia needed just six hits to plate five runs in the series opener, taking advantage of a pair of costly CBU errors.
Both of those errors came in a three-run second inning as the Wolves took an early lead after falling behind 1-0 in the bottom of the first.
Kristyn Nix and Leslie Brodgen each earned RBI. Nix then scored on the throw as Brogden stole second.
The Bucs got a run back in the top of the third to cut the deficit to one.
Brogden added to the West Georgia lead in the fourth as she singled home
Jacie Arrington, and the Wolves plated their fifth sun on a
Chandler Mevis sac fly in the bottom of the fifth.
CBU scored a run in the sixth to get it to the final margin, but
Lexi Close slammed the door and earned her first save of the season.
Kya Draper started the game in the circle and went 4.0 innings and improved to 2-0 on the season. Close pitched the final three innings of the contest. Both pitchers struck out five batters on the day, but combined to give up four walks.
Offensively, the Wolves got a multi-hit game from Brogden who went 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Hannah Scarbrough,
Ashley Ellison,
Kayla Hughes, and Arrington had the other four hits for UWG.
Game Two
A run scored in every inning of game two, but the big frame came in the fourth as the Wolves plated seven runs, four coming on a grand slam from
Lexi Close.
CBU scored a first inning run to take the early lead, but the Wolves came right back with two runs of their own on a two-run shot to right field by senior
Ashley Ellison.
Both teams scored runs in their halves of the second inning, but the Wolves made it a 4-2 game on the first of two
Lexi Close home runs.
CBU took the lead after a four-run fourth inning, capitalizing on four free passes and a hit batsmen to turn their two-run deficit into a 6-4 lead.
A throwing error started the fourth inning rally for the Wolves as
Hannah Scarbrough got on base. After a walk and a pair of hit batsmen, the last of which scoring a UWG run,
Lexi Close stepped up and delivered the big blow. Close, the senior from Hillsboro, Missouri smashed a ball to center field for her second of the game, giving the Wolves the 9-6 lead.
The Wolves added two runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth, the last of which came on a single from
Lexi Close with
Maddie Gorsuch coming around to score on a fielding error by the CBU right fielder.
Ellison and
Chandler Mevis also registered three hit games in the night cap, with Ellison driving in four runs total.
Kristy Nix had a pair of hits including a triple while
Leslie Brogden and
Madison Slappey also recorded two-hit games.
Kayla Hughes got the start, pitching 3.1 innings before giving way to
Macy Ann McKnight who pitched 2.2 innings and earned the victory.
Up Next
The Wolves and Bucs reconvene tomorrow at 12 p.m. for the series finale. The start time is a change from the originally scheduled start time.
