GREENSBORO, NC – The Greensboro College Pride softball team (2-2, 1-1 USAS) opened their 2015 USA South Athletic Conference slate on Saturday afternoon. The Pride welcomed the Monarchs of Methodist University (3-3, 1-1 USAS) to Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club Field. Greensboro dropped game one of the twin bill, 5-4, before rebounding for a 9-3 game two victory.
Greensboro got on the board first with a single run in the bottom half of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. Haley Rumley was plated from second base following a Sarah Connolly RBI single down the right field line.
However, the Monarchs were able to even the score at 1-1 with a run of their own in the visiting half of the third inning of play.
The Pride then jumped back out in front of the Monarchs 3-1 with single runs in both the third and fourth innings. Brittany Rush scored the run in the third inning before Sarah Tompkins and Allyson Yeager executed a double steal to gain the 3-1 advantage.
With the Pride leading, 3-1, in the top half of the sixth inning Methodist jumped out to a 5-3 lead with one swing of the bat.
Greensboro was able to get one run back in the seventh inning, but fell by the 5-4 mark.
Jackie Nicholson took the loss in the circle for the Pride after tossing 1.2 innings of play.
Connolly collected three of Greensboro's ten hits in the game while Haley Rumley collected two hits.
In the second game of the day, the two teams went into the home half of the fifth inning of play tied at 2-2 before Greensboro plated six runs in the inning to jump out to an 8-2 lead.
Chelsea Brewer picked up the first RBI of the inning when her single plated Madison Crisco. Later in the inning Sarah Connolly, Hayley Rumley, Jackie Nicholson, and Sarah Tompkins each recorded at least one RBI.
The Pride then added one run in the bottom half of the sixth inning en route to the 9-2 victory.
Lauren Miller (2-0) went the full seven innings to earn the victory.
Greensboro pounded out 14 hits in the game. Connolly recorded a team high three hits while Kali Puckett, Chelsea Brewer, Jackie Nicholson, Allyson Yeager, and Sarah Tompkins each tallied two hits each.
With the two game split, the Pride currently sit with a 2-2 overall record including a 1-1 mark in USA South Athletic Conference play. The Pride will return to the diamond on Monday afternoon when the open their spring break trip in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. For the latest on Greensboro College softball and the rest of Pride Athletics, continue to follow www.greensborocollegesports.com.
