HARDEEVILLE, S.C. - The Augusta University softball team dropped both games of a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader to USC Beaufort on Saturday. The Jaguars fell 2-1 in the opener before losing a back-and-forth battle 8-7 in game two. Augusta moves to 16-18 overall and 2-9 in conference play.
Game One: USC Beaufort 2, Augusta 1
Alex Wesley came off the bench to deliver a pinch-hit solo home run in the top of the seventh, but the Jaguars were unable to complete the comeback in a 2-1 loss in game one. The homer was Wesley's first of the season.
Augusta tallied eight hits in the game. Bobbi Poff went 2-for-3 with a stolen base, while Kelsea Moody, Bailee Roberts, Cadance Winder, Kaylynn Scaffe, Ryan Hanson, and Wesley each added a hit. Audrey Johnson recorded a double in the second.
Madalyn Spinks (5-4) pitched a complete game, allowing two earned runs on nine hits with one strikeout and five walks.
Game Two: USC Beaufort 8, Augusta 7
The Jaguars built a 5-0 lead through the fourth inning and held a 7-5 advantage in the fifth, but USC Beaufort scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead and held on for the win.
Augusta took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Poff walked, stole second and third, and scored on a throwing error. In the second, Johnson doubled and later scored on a two-out RBI single from Sam Tener.
Tener stayed hot in the fourth, roping an RBI double to score Sophie Baker, who had led off with a double. Poff then singled and later scored. A defensive error on a ground ball by Ansley Gibson allowed another run to cross and gave Augusta a 5-0 lead.
After USC Beaufort tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the fourth, the Jaguars responded. Roberts doubled to start the fifth, and Scaffe brought her in with a sacrifice fly. Johnson walked and was driven home by Tener's third RBI of the game, giving Augusta a 7-5 edge.
The Sand Sharks responded again, scoring three runs in the bottom half, including a three-run homer that proved to be the game-winner. Augusta was held without a hit over the final two innings.
Tener went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs. Poff finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base. Baker, Roberts, and Johnson all doubled, while Scaffe and Moody each tallied RBIs.
Gibson (5-6) took the loss, giving up eight runs (three earned) on 11 hits in 4.1 innings. Spinks started and tossed 1.2 scoreless innings.
Up Next
Augusta wraps up its Peach Belt Conference series at USC Beaufort with a single game on Sunday, March 23.
