Ranked number two in the nation, the Lady Blazers softball team split a double header 2-1 and 1-0 on Tuesday, Apr. 6 against sixteenth-ranked Augusta State at home.
The team was led by a solid defense in both games, as both teams struggled to put points on the board.
“The team played amazingly,” junior Margaret Carter said.
Carter pitched a scoreless game against the Lady Jaguars in the second game, striking out eight batters and allowing only two hits on the afternoon to lead the team to a victory over ASU.
“I feel like I did pretty well,” Carter said. “Everything was working to my advantage, it felt like.”
Although the team slipped up to ASU in the first game, junior Holly Satterfield struck out seven batters, also only allowing two hits.
The team also received other strong defense from sophomores April Hutchens and Marti Littlefield. Littlefield made two diving catches to make crucial plays for the Lady Blazers late in the second game.
“Marti made some awesome diving catches for fly balls,” Carter said. “Hutch [Hutchens] made some plays on hard hit balls, while Colette [Rollins] made the plays even simpler by stretching, and I can’t forget the outfield—they too made good plays.”
Both teams struggled to hit the ball in both games, but VSU still received a solid boost from senior Alyssa Shirey, as she hit the team’s only home run on the afternoon in the first game to tie the score.
“I felt good,” Shirey said. “I felt like it set the tone for the whole team.”
Even though the team struggled offensively against the Lady Jaguars, VSU was able to hold on for a win in the second game.
“Offensively we were slow, but our defense and pitching is what really kept us in the games,” Shirey said. “The first game was a hard loss to swallow,
but the second win was a step
ping stone for us.
“Extra innings isn’t easy for any team,” she said, “but we came through with execution in the end.”
The Lady Blazers return to action on Thursday, Apr. 8 in the Gulf South Crossover Tournament starting off with Christian Brothers at 4 p.m.