YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. | Young Harris College swept a Peach Belt Conference softball doubleheader from Augusta University Saturday (March 30) afternoon at E.D. Rivers Field.
Nikkie Kovalsky (16-8) threw a complete game shutout in the opener en route to a 6-0 victory for the Mountain Lions before taking game two 8-1 behind two home runs from
Grace Botti. Young Harris improved to 21-13 overall and 6-2 in the PBC, while the Jaguars fell to 3-25 and 0-8. The Mountain Lions travel to Greeneville, Tennessee, Sunday (March 31) for a 2 p.m. non-conference doubleheader against Tusculum University.
Jill Torres started the scoring in the first inning of game one for Young Harris with a single to left field that scored
Morgan Curley. Torres picked up her second RBI of the game in the third inning with a sacrifice fly to center field. Botti made it a 4-0 game for the Mountain Lions with a two RBI single to right field.
Emily Harris and
Haylie Shope hit back-to-back triples in the sixth inning that lead to a 5-0 lead for Young Harris. Shope scored after
Carly Rigsbee reached on an error to make it a 6-0 game.
Kovalsky picked up the win for Young Harris as she threw a complete game shutout allowing five hits with one walk and six strikeouts.
Harris finished 4-for-4 with two runs scored. Torres and Botti each collected two hits and two RBI. Shope had two hits, one RBI, and two runs scored.
Morgan Hunter (2-12) earned the loss for Augusta as she gave up six runs (one unearned) on 11 hits with three walks and one strikeout in 5.1 innings pitched.
Botti sent a three-run homer, her second of the season, over the left field fence to give the Mountain Lions a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Shope made it a 4-0 game in the fourth with a double down the left field line that scored Harris.
Morgan Curley picked up an infield single in the fifth inning that scored
Biz Walters.
Shope hit a solo home run, her fifth of the season, to left center to make it a 6-1 game for YHC in the sixth inning. Botti went back-to-back with Shope and sent her second home run of the game, third of the season, to left field. Curley added another RBI with a bases-loaded walk that scored Torres.
Louisa Disi (4-5) picked up the win for the Mountain Lions as she gave up one run on three hits with three walks and four strikeouts in 5.2 innings of relief.
Botti went 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored. Shope collected three hits, two RBI, and two runs scored. Curley had a hit and two RBI. Torres went 4-for-4 with a run scored. Harris had one hit and two runs scored, while
Kristan Lizardi had two hits.
Katy Caldwell (1-8) earned the loss for the Jaguars as she gave up three runs on seven hits in 2.1 innings pitched.
