Gulf Shores, AL – The Patriots started the Gulf Coast Invitational with a pair of wins against ranked opponents on Friday. They started the tourney with a 6-2 win over the No. 22 University of Mobile Rams and ended the day with an 8-0 run-rule victory over the 15th ranked LSU-Alexandria Generals.
Game one saw Lindsey Shope earn her fifth win and fifth complete game of the year, moving to 5-1 on the season. The senior pitched 7 innings, giving up five hits and one earned run while striking out two. Maliyah Wilkins went 1-3 with a three-run homerun while Amber Gainer finished 2-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI. Marquila Howell added a triple with a pair of RBI's as well.
Jessica Cord and Carly Oliver dominated in the second game of the afternoon. Cord pitched a complete game shutout to take down the #15 Generals, allowing just two hits and striking out three. Oliver finished the game two for three with a grand slam and six RBI's. Wilkins added an RBI double while Jade Gainer went one for three with an RBI as well. Emma McDonald added two hits and scored two runs for the Patriots.
Pats Down #22 Mobile
After two scoreless innings from both sides, UM took the first lead of the game with a two-run single in the third inning. Shope would get out of the inning with a grounder to first, stranding two more Rams baserunners to get her team back in the dugout.
The Patriots answered right back in the top of the fourth as A. Gainer led off with a double to left field. After a pair of flyouts, J. Gainer singled to center to put runners on the corners for Wilkins. The freshman gave UC the lead with one swing of the bat, sending the pitch over the left-center field fence for a three-run shot to make it 3-2 in favor of UC.
After another three-up three-down inning from Shope, Jules Johnson singled to try and start another offensive rally. McDonald followed with a double to center field as Johnson moved to third. A. Gainer laid down a bunt and reached for a single of her own, bringing in Johnson for an RBI. She then stole second and scored one batter later behind McDonald off a Rams miscue in the outfield. The Pats took a 6-2 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning.
After the first Mobile batter reached in the fifth, a pair of ground balls, including a 6-4-3 double play got UC out of the inning with no harm done. After a scoreless top of the seventh, Shope came back out for the complete game, and got the Rams out in order, for her fifth win and fifth complete game of the year.
Cord and Oliver Deliver Stellar Performances to Defeat #15 LSU-A
Cord struck out the first batter of the game before getting a pair of ground outs to Bailey Turnbow at first for a quick first inning. She held the Generals scoreless the next two innings as well, giving her team a chance to strike first.
UC did just that as McDonald led off the bottom of the third with a single, then advanced to third off another single from A. Gainer. Oliver came through with a groundball to the right side to score McDonald for her first RBI of the game. J. Gainer then singled to score her sister from third, then scored one batter later off a double from Wilkins to put UC up 3-0.
Another one, two, three inning from Cord in the circle gave her team a chance to extend their lead. After two quick outs in the bottom half, McDonald started the rally with a single once again. She stole second, followed by an A. Gainer walk. Howell then legged out an infield single to load the bases for Oliver. Carly Oliver delivered once again with a grand slam to put UC up 7-0.
Two more scoreless innings from Jessica Cord gave UC a chance to run rule the #15 Generals in the sixth. A. Gainer recorded an infield single, then stole second in Howell's at bat. Howell grounded out to second, advancing Gainer to third. Oliver then sealed the game with a single through the middle, recording her sixth RBI of the game.
UC have now defeated seven opponents mentioned in the NAIA Top-25 Ratings and are 12-5 on the year. They will be back for the second day at the Gulf Coast Invitational where they will take on the University of Houston Victoria and #16 Southeastern.
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