MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – Georgia Regents University Augusta's Paige Deschaine tossed a 3-0 shutout over Young Harris College in the quarterfinals of the 2015 Peach Belt Conference Softball Tournament Friday (April 25) afternoon at the Peeler Complex.
The Jaguars, the No. 4 seed, improved to 32-11, while the fifth-seeded Mountain Lions (31-18), who were making their first appearance in the tournament, ended their season with a school-best (NCAA era) 31 wins. GRU Augusta will face top-seeded North Georgia in an 11 a.m. semifinal game Saturday (April 26).
Deschaine (16-1) scattered eight hits and walked four while striking out five for the Jaguars, while Darby Stanford (19-8) absorbed the loss despite allowing five hits and just one earned run.
GRU Augusta took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second on an unearned run before the Jaguars added two more runs in the fourth. Brooke Stephens led off with her 10th home run of the season. GRU Augusta added another unearned run on Brianna Dickens' sacrifice fly.
The Mountain Lions had their opportunities to push across runs, but could not find key hits with runners in scoring position. Young Harris left 12 runners on base and had at least one base runner in every inning, including runners in scoring position four times.
Deschaine bent but never broke in her complete-game effort. She struck out the side in the sixth after walking a pair. Twice she got out of jams with runners at second and less than two outs and was saved by her defense at the end of the game.
YHC loaded the bases in the top of the seventh with one out following hits from Sarah Beth Marquis and Georgia Webb along with a walk to Sarah Magill. Chandler Stooksbury then drilled a line drive but Dickens – the GRU shortstop - made the play, shoveled the ball to second baseman Hannah Wilson, who made the turn over to first in time for the game-ending double play.
Stephens and Wilson were the only two Jaguars to collect two hits, both going 2-for-3 on the day. Perrucci and Marquis both had two hits for the Mountain Lions.
