Walk-offs defining GCSU softball

Published 12:19 pm Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Georgia College & State University first-year softball coach Brittany Johnson stressed that every game of the Peach Belt Conference sweep against South Carolina-Aiken at home ended on a walk-off.

Yes, the Bobcats ended the weekend series Saturday scoring four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to end the game 8-0 on the run-rule. That, however, wasn’t near as exciting as the not one, but two seventh-inning rallies Georgia College pulled off both Friday (2-1 final) and early on Saturday (4-3 final).

After all, you don’t get the dogpile of humanity flowing from the visitors dugout all the way into centerfield with a run-rule win.

Call them the ‘Walk-Off Wonders’ or the ‘Seventh-Inning Sensations,’ but come-from-behind wins in Peach Belt play are quickly defining Bobcat softball in the 2025 season. Even before the Aiken series, Georgia College pulled off one walk-off win to take the first PBC series of the season against Columbus State. There was also a comeback when Johnson’s team defeated South Carolina-Beaufort two times out of three on the road.

“The fight, that’s the biggest thing,” said Johnson after GCSU jumped to 7-2, good for third place in the PBC, and 13-12 overall. “They are fighting every single pitch. Even though we are down one run, two runs, it doesn’t matter. They are going to fight to the last pitch. That’s something you can’t teach. That’s something they have within. Every single one of them on the field, on the bench, they all believe.”

Fighting every single pitch includes those who do the Bobcat pitching, and Johnson got three super starts against South Carolina-Aiken. Senior Shelby Jones’ effort on Friday was worthy of a shutout, for she gave up one unearned run in the top of the first. Otherwise it was a five-hitter with one walk and six strikeouts.

Sophomore Tiffany Caban, in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, struck out a career-high 12. The first nine came in her first trip through the Pacer lineup. However, Aiken got to her the second time through with opposing pitcher Lakyn Phillips belting a three-run home run in the fourth inning. But that was only one of two hits allowed by Caban in seven innings, plus the only runs.

Getting the Game 3 start was another sophomore, Annalise Knop. In six shutout innings she allowed two hits and walked one with three strikeouts. It was her first win of the season.

“They put in so much time and effort,” said Johnson. “They all stepped up this weekend, mixed up their stuff. If something wasn’t working, they went to the bullpen to make sure it was working. Putting in a lot of extra time on our defense, making sure we are playing behind our pitcher and making extra-ordinary plays. We talked about making ESPN plays, and we had a couple of those this weekend.”

Game 1 Friday breezed by in 82 minutes with the scoreboard showing Aiken up 1-0, that run scoring on two hits plus an error. Through six innings, Georgia College wasted a pair of doubles – one by Maddie Todd leading off the home second and the other from Reina Checo with one out in the home fifth.

But in the seventh, Checo – the designated player in the No. 9 spot – had a hand in the comeback as she did to beat Columbus State on March 1. Centerfielder Emily Hutcheson would also have a solid weekend starting off with a leadoff single Friday. The Bobcats executed their bunts, pinch-hitter Samantha Wilson reaching when Aiken’s first baseman bumped into her catcher and shortstop Kaci Wiggins advancing both runners to scoring position.

It all ended when Checo drove in the tying run on a sacrifice fly and Aiken tried to get Wilson at second base off the relay throw home. That throw went right back where it came from giving Wilson plenty of time to score the game-winner.

Georgia College gave Caban a 1-0 lead on Hutcheson’s RBI hit in the top of the second Saturday.

The Pacers’ fourth-inning damage occurred all with two outs that were not strikeouts, but they were at-bats that showed the visitors made some adjustments after nine straight whiffs. There was a walk and a double from Watkinsville’s Kate Newberry before Phillips changed the tone of the day going deep.

Aiken only had one other baserunner the rest of the game, but Phillips was just as sharp in the circle retiring 11 in a row after giving up the first run.

Then the No. 1 Bobcat hitter, Kam Caldwell, starting seeing basketballs at the plate. She singled off Phillips to lead off the home sixth and advanced all the way home thanks to outs from Divina Checo and Karlie Gutierrez.

Johnson needed the bottom half of her order to come through in the home seventh down 3-2, and Hutcheson stepped up first with a leadoff single on her first pitch. Wiggins got down another sacrifice bunt. When Wilson drew a walk, Hutcheson took off for third base and reached safely. Wilson took the same opportunity to swipe second base.

With two outs, the lineup turned over back to Caldwell, and she drilled the two-run game-winner.

“(Caldwell) is a competitor,” said Johnson. “She’s a hard out at the plate.

“We found different ways to win, putting down the sac bunt, getting on base with the bunt. Our base running on top of it is what really helped us. Whenever our girls might not be as hot (at the plate), we have other avenues.”

It took some time to develop the offense in the finale, but Sydney Lancaster drove in Caldwell with a two-out single in the home third, then it was Hutcheson and Caldwell coming through again in a two-run fourth. Hutcheson and Wilson were on base for Caldwell’s two-run triple with two outs.

Hutcheson drove in three of the final four Bobcat runs, two on a single that ended the game in the bottom of the sixth. Gutierrez and Lancaster also had RBI hits in the sixth.

“That’s what we’re trying to do, build up as many W’s, series wins as we can” said Johnson about the winning start in the PBC. “I’m proud that they weren’t satisfied with just two wins (over Aiken). They went for all three.”

This upcoming weekend, Bobcat softball returns to the home field for more PBC play, this time against Lander University (Game 1 Friday at 6, Saturday doubleheader starting at 1).

“Our focus is always on us,” said Johnson. “Trying to hone in on our best assets and look for their weaknesses.”