Pirates Split Two Games In First-Day PBC Tournament Action

FLORENCE, S.C. - The fourth-seeded Armstrong Atlantic State softball squad split a pair of games in the first day of action at the 2009 Peach Belt Conference Softball Championships, hosted by Francis Marion at the Freedom Florence Complex in Florence, S.C.

The Pirates (26-22) dropped a 2-1 decision in nine innings to fifth-seeded Augusta State in Friday's first action, but AASU avoided elimination with a 12-4 win in six innings over No. 8-seeded UNC Pembroke in the second game of the day.

AASU will now face No. 9 seed Georgia Southwestern State in an elimination game on Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m.

In game one, Augusta State took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Sara DeMuth. The Pirates tied things back up in the bottom of the fifth when Casey Saunders led off with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ashley Buckett, then came home on a wild pitch from DeMuth.

In the top of the ninth, Kristen Jones' RBI single scored Kaycee Camp with the game-winning run. Emily Corish (5-1) got the win for the Jaguars, hurling seven innings of four-hit shutout ball, striking out six. All-PBC hurler Emily Headrick (10-7) took the loss for the Pirates, giving up two runs and seven hits in nine innings, walking one while striking out six.

In the second game, UNC Pembroke jumped out to a 4-1 lead after two and a half innings, but the Pirates took the lead for good in the bottom of the third when senior All-PBC outfielder Jessica Strong launched a grand slam home run, her second grand slam of the year, off of UNC Pembroke starter Brittany Marsh (1-6), putting AASU ahead for good.

The Pirates finished off the game by scoring six runs in the bottom of the sixth, including a two-RBI single by Strong. Marsh took the loss for UNCP, giving up eight hits and seven runs in 2 1/3 innings, walking five, while Courtney Alvarez (7-7) picked up the win for the Pirates, givign up one run and six hits in 4 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out two.

Strong finished the UNCP game 3-for-3 with six RBIs to lead the Pirates at the plate, while Sam Floyd went 3-for-3 in game one against the Jaguars.