Brewton Parker Too Much for Koala Softball

COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Columbia College softball team fell in both games of their series to visiting Brewton-Parker College (Ga.) on Wednesday in non-conference action from the Sutton Complex.

BPC held off a Koala rally for a 4-2 win in game one before cruising 9-2 in game two.

In game one, the Koalas shut out the Lady Barons for six of the seven innings as BPC only managed one good frame when they scored 4 runs in the third off Koala senior starter Meghan Dennis. Dennis (5-3) threw 3 innings allowing 5 hits and 4 runs (only 3 earned). Sophomore reliever Kynsly Gehling then came on and shut down the Baron offense holding them to just one hit and one walk over the final four innings. 

CC then put a rally together in the bottom of the 7th as senior 1B Kylie Smith got things started with a one-out single. That was followed by sophomore LF Hope Azurdia's RBI double while she then advanced to third on the throw home. An RBI groundout from senior 2B Brooklyn Franco made it 4-2 before another groundout ended the game. Azurdia led the offense with 2 doubles on the afternoon.

In game two, BPC got out to a hot start scoring 5 runs in the first inning on two errors, a home run, a sac fly and RBI single off of Koala game two starter Kylie Smith. Reliever Bailey Strickland then came on to relieve Smith (5-5) in the first inning and went on to throw 5 and 1/3 innings allowing 5 hits and 2 runs with a strikeout. Strickland also drove in the first run for the Koalas on a sacrifice fly in the 3rd inning that scored senior 3B Aislyn Sharp. In the 6th, Columbia added another run on a fielder's choice RBI from CF Mary-Catherine Sanders that scored Azurdia, who again knocked two hits and another double. Azurdia finished with 4 hits on the day increasing her average to .274 with 6 doubles and 12 runs scored. Sanders also knocked two hits in game two while outfielder Taryn Martin, Sharp, and Gehling all had hits as well.

Columbia falls to 12-10 on the season while BPC improves to 11-7. Columbia will now host conference rival Reinhardt on Sunday at 1 and 3 pm after inclement weather wiped out Friday's scheduled DH.