HR barrage harms Bobcat hopes in PBC

Published 11:28 am Thursday, April 17, 2025

What was it about the backdrop of the softball field that the Georgia Southwestern State hitters liked so much?

Five different batters for the Hurricanes from Americus accounted for seven home runs in the three-game series held over the past weekend at the Georgia College & State University complex. While the host Bobcats overcame one of those long balls in the opening game Friday to pull out a 7-3 win, Georgia Southwestern State dominated the Saturday doubleheader to end both games early and win the Peach Belt Conference series. It was the first time GCSU lost a conference series at home in 2025, but it was the final home stand of the season and the second straight series loss for the Bobcats and first-year head coach Brittany Johnson.

Georgia College now gets its bye weekend from PBC games with a 12-9 league record, which is good for third place though Georgia Southwestern State is even in the loss column in fourth place at 9-9. North Georgia has a commanding lead at 16-2 while Flagler – GCSU’s final opponent for the regular season April 25-26 in St. Augustine, Florida – is in second place at 11-7.

To start the series with the Hurricanes on a winning note Friday, it was about Bobcat responses. First, it was responding to Madison Banks’ three-run home run in the top of the third inning with a five-run outburst in the bottom half. Then, it was senior pitcher Shelby Jones responding to giving up her 17th home run of the season by holding GSW to just two hits and no more runs the remainder of the contest.

Banks, the leadoff hitter and Bonaire native, is one of two Georgia Southwestern State players to transfer in from Georgia Southern University. She broke up the scoreless deadlock after Jones retired the first seven batters she faced, four via strikeout. But Banks followed a single and a walk with a first-pitch blast to dead centerfield.

The other former GSU Eagle in the game was starting pitcher Graceanne Spears. She too ran into third-inning trouble after cruising through two frames in the circle as the Bobcat half of the third began with a fielding error. Senior infielder Divina Checo, with one out, singled off the pitcher’s foot. If that had any impact, GCSU took advantage by getting its next three hitters on base. Sydney Lancaster was hit by a pitch to load the bases, the Bobcats scored on a wild pitch, then Karlie Gutierrez and Emily Hutcheson ripped back-to-back singles to tie the game 3-3.

The Hurricanes made a pitching change, but the Bobcats didn’t flinch as Eliza Kuhne went the opposite way for an RBI hit (her second in as many at-bats) and Caroline Pollock singled down the left-field line to complete the five-run inning.

For the rest of her outing, Jones gave up a two-out single in the top of the fourth and a two-out single in the top of the seventh. In gaining her 10th win, she had six strikeouts total, and there were no errors behind her.

Georgia College’s offense went from all singles in the third to all doubles in the sixth to score two more runs. Kam Caldwell led off with her 20th two-bagger of the season, and Checo followed with an RBI double. It was Caldwell’s 35th run and Checo’s 25th RBI. With two down, Hutcheson caught Banks playing shallow in center and sent an RBI double to the wall.

But as much as Georgia Southwestern State went crazy at the plate Saturday, the Bobcats were just as quiet in losing the first game 10-1 in six innings and the finale 12-2 in five.

Pyper McCard, a freshman from Ashburn, went six full innings for the Hurricanes scattering four hits, walking three and fanning three.

Bobcat starting pitcher Tiffany Caban, looking for her ninth win, was on her game for three innings with just one hit allowed – a single by former Gordon State shortstop Kendall Huelsman – six strikeouts. She had five whiffs in a row before things completely fell apart in the top of the fourth.

In that frame, GSW got its first walk before senior Ashlyn Rogers would hit the first of her three home runs Saturday. That broke a 0-0 tie, and soon it was 3-0 when freshman Cooper Watson followed with a solo shot. Caban would be done for the day after issuing her second walk, but New York transfer Elora Wilmot pitched the Bobcats out of the inning still down by three.

But the GCSU offense went four innings with just two hits (Checo and Lancaster), and the Hurricanes staged a straight two-out rally in the top of the fifth. Rogers hit her second two-run home run, then her teammates patched two more runs together with Huelsman’s double to left and Macon senior Henderson Hurdle’s two-run single.

Georgia College’s only run of the game came in the home fifth on Lancaster’s two-out single.

Savana Bradford led off the top of the sixth with Georgia Southwestern’s fourth home run. Watson added two more RBI on a bases-loaded single.

The Bobcats still had a shot at a series win with sophomore Analise Knop taking the pitching circle, but the Hurricanes did not cool off in the between-games break.

Hurdle led off the top of the second as the fifth Hurricane to circle the bases in the series. In the same inning Pollock – playing left field – caught a ball at the wall. Still, Georgia Southwester State was rolling with Bradford’s single and Banks’ ball that ate up the shortstop and plate Bradford. Up 2-0, Rogers stepped up with the bases full and hit her third home run in Milledgeville.

That was it for the home runs, but not the scoring as Huelsman had three RBI on two singles, Watson and Rebecca Hazard each doubled in a run and Hurdle drove one in. GSW in all had 14 hits in the game.

Spears returned to the circle and pitched all five innings with six hits allowed, two walks and five strikeouts.