Columbus State softball splits doubleheader with Albany State

ALBANY, Ga. – Offense was hard to come by on Wednesday as the Columbus State University softball team picked up a win and a loss at Albany State. The doubleheader was played at Lady Rams Park.

Columbus State (27-21-1) tallied a 1-0 victory to start the day before falling 2-0 in game two.

"We did an excellent job today in the circle," head coach Brad Huskisson said. "Unfortunately, we weren't able to get much going offensively. I have faith that our offense will bounce back and close out the regular season strong."

The Lady Cougars wrap up the regular season with doubleheaders at Young Harris and North Georgia this weekend. First pitch at YHC is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday.

Game One

Wednesday's first game belonged to the right arm of Darby Demarest. The sophomore dominated from the opening pitch, striking out the side in the first to set the stage for the game.

The right-hander allowed just five hits in the game and recorded at least two strikeouts in six of the seven innings. She finished the day with a career-high 15 punch outs, just two shy of the CSU single-game record.

While Demarest kept the Lady Rams off the scoreboard, she needed the offense to find at least one run.

The Lady Cougars would get that done in the fourth. Kia Smith singled and stole second to start the frame. The junior would then come around to score the only run of the game with the help of some shaky defense.

Demarest (8-7) took care of the rest finishing off her 10th complete game and third shutout of the season.

Game Two

The script was flipped in the second game as Albany State (23-18) was able to keep the CSU offense quiet for seven innings.

The Lady Rams plated the only runs of the game on a two-run homer in the second inning and were able to make it stand.

The Lady Cougars picked up back-to-back hits with two outs in the sixth inning, but failed to bring either across.

Peyton Sorrells started for the Lady Cougars, allowing the two runs in her two innings of work. Demarest tossed the final four, continuing her dominance in the circle with scoreless work.

This story was originally published April 13, 2017 at 1:19 PM with the headline "Columbus State softball splits doubleheader with Albany State."