Columbus State softball splits doubleheader with Lander

GREENWOOD, S.C. – The Columbus State University softball team split a doubleheader at Lander on Friday evening. The Peach Belt Conference games were played at Doug Spears Field.

Columbus State (18-14-1, 6-2 PBC) dropped a tough 6-3 decision in eight innings to start the day, but bounced back for a 6-4 win in game two.

"We didn't get the outcome we had hoped for, but it was good to see us bounce back after a tough loss," head coach Brad Huskisson said. "We are still playing well overall and we will look to keep that going tomorrow."

The Lady Cougars will wrap up the weekend road swing at USC Aiken on Saturday.

Game One

CSU got off to a great start, getting a run-scoring double from Elizabeth Perdue that plated Keeli Waugh for the game's first run.

Two innings later, McKenzie Fagioli brought home Kia Smith to double the Lady Cougar lead.

After Lander (12-22, 4-8) got on the board in the third, Columbus State answered right back. Waugh reached on a fielder's choice with the bases loaded that brought in Lee Anne Rees to extend the lead back to two.

The game held at 3-1 until the bottom of the seventh inning when the Lady Cougars looked to finish off the win. Lander had other ideas though, getting a pair of solo home runs to force the game into extra innings.

CSU went in order in its half of the eighth inning, and Lander stole the victory away with a pinch-hit three-run home run in the bottom half.

Sydney Barker (1-2) took the loss for the Lady Cougars. Smith, Rees and Mary Horne all had two hits.

Game Two

The Lady Cougars shook off the game one loss quickly, as Waugh homered leading off the nightcap to set the tone. Perdue made it a 2-0 game later in the inning with a sacrifice fly.

Brittany Mitchell hit her first collegiate home run to start the second inning, but the Bearcats clawed back with homers of their own in the second and third.

Columbus State got the runs back in the fifth using a single and two errors to load the bases. Savanna Turvy forced home the first run of the inning with a walk and Mitchell added to her strong performance with a two-run single.

Lander plated a run in the fifth and another in the seventh, but Darby Demarest slammed the door shut to secure the win.

Fagioli led the Lady Cougar offense with three hits in the game.

This story was originally published March 25, 2017 at 8:12 PM with the headline "Columbus State softball splits doubleheader with Lander."