ATHENS, Ga. — Left-hander Randi Roelling threw 6 2/3 innings of three-hit ball with 12 strikeouts to lead No. 10/11 Georgia over the Longwood softball team, 11-5, in the 18th Annual Red & Black Showcase at Jack Turner Softball Stadium on Sunday.
Roelling (3-0) kept the Lancers' offense at bay early, allowing just a leadoff base hit to
Avery Drake and two walks over the first four innings before being
relieved by Destin Howard in the fifth.
"So many positive aspects of today. There are wins, losses and lessons," Longwood head coach
Dr. Megan Brown said. "If we only focus on wins and losses and lose the lessons, we defeat the purpose of great preparation. Great preparation holds you to the highest standards and refines you only if you let it. You have to take the lessons and build upon the good. I could not be more proud of the young women who come daily to work, refine their skills and pursue goals with confidence and passion. Goals that most wouldn't even dare to entertain."
Georgia (8-0) built a 7-0 lead through three innings, powered, in large part, by a five-run first inning that featured a Sarah Gordon grand slam to right-center field off of Longwood righty
Maggie Chapin.
With Howard in the circle for the Bulldogs to begin the fifth, pinch hitters
Berkeley Whitten and
Natalia Colone coaxed back-to-back walks and Drake reached on error by third baseman Hannah Davila to load the bases.
After a strikeout,
Brooke Bennett drew a four-pitch walk, forcing in
Bailey Bucholz from third to make it 7-1.
Sophia Knock then singled on a sharply hit ball up the middle to plate Colone and
Maggie Hiatt followed with a second bases-loaded walk of the frame.
Next up, pinch hitter
Avery Miller took the first pitch she saw from Roelling, who re-entered, into right field for a two-run single as Knock and Bennett came around, cutting the deficit to 7-5.
Roelling fanned the next two batters to get out of further trouble and the Georgia hitters went back to work in the bottom of inning. The Bulldogs rallied for four runs on three hits with a Marisa Miller two-run double and Davila two-run home run off of
Cierra Gawryluk and
Mallory Sanders, respectively.
Chapin (1-3) was saddled with the loss, giving up six earned runs on three hits and three walks in two innings. She struck out three.
Drake went 2-for-3 with a sacrifice, stolen base and a run scored for the top of the Longwood lineup. Posting her first multiple-game game of the season, Drake has now hit safely in six of the eight games to start the season.
Longwood (2-6) returns to action in the Mizuno Classic next Thursday-Saturday, split between Virginia's Palmer Park and Lancer Field in Farmville. Longwood opens the event with a single game against Delaware at 6:30 p.m., in Charlottesville.
