LAKEWOOD, NJ (March 10, 2023) - What's better than one shutout? How about two in both ends of a doubleheader sweep. That's what Georgian Court pulled off in their home opener Friday afternoon. The Lions swept both ends with 3-0 and 10-0 wins to improve to 11-7 on the season.
Game 1 - Georgian Court 3, Southern New Hampshire 0
How it Happened
• Georgian Court took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, but it wasn't meant to be. The Penmen totaled two hits while Georgian Court knocked seven to plate their three runs.
• All three of Georgian Court's runs came one-at-a-time in separate innings. The Lions didn't put up a crooked up number until game two.
• Of the Lions seven hits, only one went for extra-bases, a double by
Kaitlyn Stufft. The rest were all singles.
• Both teams left five runners on base and each drew two walks.
• Georgian Court was 2-2 stealing bases.
• Both teams went down in order in the first. Georgian Court got on the board with a run in the second.
Taylor Barraza beat out an infield single, then pinch-runner
Trinity Moreno came in to score on
Alyssa Herrera's ground ball for a 1-0 lead.
• Southern New Hampshire started the third with a leadoff walk. They looked to move the runner over with a bunt, but
Alyssa Herrera came charging in from third to make a diving grab on the short pop up, fired to first from her knees in time for a double play.
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Taylor Barraza again started things off this time in the fourth. She went opposite field for a single to left. One batter later,
Kaitlyn Stufft drove in pinch-runner
Brittany Gable with a hard-hit double to center and a 2-0 lead. Penmen pitcher Leine McKechnie kept Stufft at second though to limit the damage.
• Throughout all this, the Penman still hadn't picked up their first hit. Lion starter
Maddie Rabe kept a zero on the board through 5.2 innings, but in the sixth, Bella Dickinson kept a hard-hit ground ball fair that hopped over the third base bag and into left field for a double to spoil the no-hit bid.
• Looking to tack on, the Lions did just that in the home half of the sixth.
Jayda Jones led off with a walk and there was Stufft again with another RBI hit. She went to left to drive in pinch-runner
Coco Dunham with a single.
• Rabe worked around a two-out single in the seventh to cap off the complete game shutout.
Lion Stat Leaders
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Maddie Rabe went the distance allowing no runs on two hits with six strikeouts.
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Kaitlyn Stufft was 3-3 with a double and two RBI.
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Taylor Barraza was 2-2 with a pair of singles.
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Jadalynn Rodriguez reached base with a hit and a walk.
• Pinch runners Trinty Moreno and
Coco Dunham each excelled in their roles with a stolen base and a run scored.
For the Penmen
• Bella Dickinson spoiled the no-hitter with a double finishing 1-3.
• Pinch hitter Peyton Feldman was 1-1 in her only trip to the plate.
• Hannah DeRock got the start. She threw the first three innings allowing a run on three hits.
• Leine McKenchnie tossed the final three innings and allowed two runs on four hits while fanning three.
Game 2 - Georgian Court 10, Southern New Hampshire 0 - 5 Innings
How it Happened
• Unlike game one where GCU scored a single run in three different innings, the Lions bunched runs together in game two. They used two five-run frames and another great pitching performance to blank the Penmen 10-0.
• Just like game one, SNHU mustered just two hits.
• Georgian Court collected eight hits, three were doubles.
• SNHU put just three runners on base the entire game.
• The Lions did a good job with runners on base. They stranded just two going 6-11 with runners on base and an outstanding 6-9 with runners in scoring position.
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Janelle Blaszka was perfect through the first two innings in the circle while striking out four.
• Georgian Court busted out in second and once again it was
Taylor Barraza starting things off. She doubled to left to lead off the inning and a walk and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with nobody out. One pitch later,
Alyssa Herrera came within inches of clearing all the bases with a grand slam. Her ball hit off the fence though to drive in the game's first two runs.
• SNHU nearly got out of things with consecutive outs, but the top of the order came through.
Taylor Lipkins pop fly to left was misread off the bat and a diving attempt came up short as Herrera and
Savannah Simons scored.
Adriana Mungo followed that up with an RBI single to center as Lipkins scored putting the Lions on top 5-0.
• With Blaszka working on a no-hitter of her own, she got the first two out in the third. A soft liner fell in just over the head of second baseman
Adriana Mungo for the Penman's first hit. A line drive back to Blaszka went off her hand and rolled far enough away for an infield hit and an error loaded the bases with two outs. Blaszka and Lions escaped though as she induced a soft grounder to Stufft at first base who took it herself to end the inning.
• The scored stayed 5-0 until the fifth. GCU loaded the bases again, this time with one out for Mungo. She roped a single to center but was hit so hard only one run could score. Stufft drove in another with a hard liner to the outfield that the center fielder made a nice play on going back and to her left, but it was a productive out nonetheless as
Jadalynn Rodriguez scampered home.
• With the bases loaded once again and two outs,
Jayda Jones uncleared them finding the gap in right center for a long three-RBI double as the Lions had their second five-run inning of the game and led 10-0.
• Blaszka retired the final three hitters all on the ground and the Lions came away with a doubleheader sweep.
Lion Stat Leaders
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Janelle Blaszka's final line was five innings, no runs, two hits, no walks and four strikeouts.
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Alyssa Herrera singled in both of her at bats while driving in two, scoring twice and stealing a base.
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Adriana Mungo finished 2-3 with a run scored and two driven in.
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Jayda Jones reached base with a double and a walk and plated three runs.
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Taylor Lipkins finished 1-2 with a double, walk, two runs scored and two batted in.
For the Penmen
• Peyton Feldman picked up a hit in two at bats.
• Ari Ferrier also singled in two trips to the plate.
• Gwyn Hammond started and tossed four innings allowing five runs on four hits with a walk and a strikeout.
• Leine McKechnie had a similar line: four innings, five runs, four hits, two walks and two strikeouts.
News and Notes
• The Lions had previously lost four straight to SNHU, including getting eliminated by the Penman in the 2019 East Regional.
• GCU has not lost in a home opener since the 2018 season. They are 8-0 with four doubleheader sweeps.
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Jadalynn Rodriguez scored her 50th career run.
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Alyssa Herrera crossed the plate for the 100th time in her career.
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Maddie Rabe's six strikeouts are a new career high. She's now made six appearances of at least 3.2 innings and hasn't allowed a run in four of the six.
• For both games, GCU was 8-21 with runners in scoring position and 10-27 with runners on base.
• This is the first time all season
Taylor Lipkins has gone back-to-back games without a stolen base.
Up Next
• Georgian Court is back on the road next week. They head to Millersville, PA to take on Millersville in a nonconference doubleheader Tuesday, March 15 beginning at 2:30 p.m.
