Braves softball loses doubleheader

The UNCP softball team lost both games of the Feb. 17 home doubleheader to North Georgia 11-2 in the first game and 12-4 in the second game.            

Braves head coach Steve Johnson was noticeably disappointed after the games, as the Braves had suffered their two largest losses playing North Georgia.

“Anything we had to do to win tonight wasn’t going on,” Johnson said.            
           
The losses also place the Braves at a 0-2 record on the season in the Peach Belt Conference.

The first game saw the Braves down in the 4th inning 2-0 until UNCP outfielder Brittany Berrian was able to move to second base off  a bunt single and a wild pitch. Wendi Cochran then followed up with an RBI single and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly.            
           
The Braves lost control of the game in the top of the 5th inning as Braves pitcher Candace Evans gave up a grand slam to the Saints’ Page Raynor that launched over the centerfield wall.

Parker had made a critical fielding error in the inning that could have  resulted in an inning-ending double play.            
           
“We made two errors that extended the innings, let them score their runs,” Johnson said.

Outside of the two-run spurt in the 4th inning, the Braves spread out eight total hits and scored no other runs in the game.             “We hit the ball pretty well in the first game right at people,” Johnson said.

In the second game, the Braves once again came back from an early 2-0 deficit in the bottom of the 2nd inning as the Braves’ Katie Rubio and Heather Hayslip scored off of a sacrifice fly and an error, respectively.            
           
The Saints charged ahead in the top of the 3rd inning as they scored four runs after two groundouts.

Johnson said that the pitchers were struggling by getting behind in pitch counts that the Saints capitalized on offensively.                            
           
Once again, the UNCP offense struggled to produce as they connected on only four hits throughout the game.            

“We didn’t adjust well to the slow pitching,” Johnson said.