ATLANTA — App State Softball split a pair of Saturday games with Sun Belt Conference opponent Georgia State after opening the doubleheader with an 11-0 victory in five innings.
Now 14-9 on the season and 3-2 in Sun Belt play, App State started off the day with a victory that included a nine-run second inning highlighted by a McKenzie McCullen grand slam and a two-hit, complete-game shutout by Delani Buckner. Emily Parrott also homered.
The Mountaineers fell in the second game of the day by a 6-2 score against the Panthers.
App State will be back in action Sunday for the rubber matchup against Georgia State at 1 p.m.
Game 1 Recap:
The Mountaineers had nine hits and 11 RBs as a team, with seven different Mountaineers recording at least one RBI.
McCullen led the team with four RBIs, and a homer from Parrott (2-for-3, two RBIs, two runs) gave the Mountaineers a 1-0 advantage in the top half of the first inning. Kennedy Upshire and Addie Wray also had two hits, while Upshire and Baylee Morton (two walks) scored two runs apiece.
Buckner recorded her sixth win of the season on the mound. She allowed a single to open the bottom of the first, with a double play immediately following that, and Georgia State's only other hit came in the fourth inning.
Buckner retired 14 of the 16 batters she faced.
Game 2 Recap:
Georgia State scored in five straight innings after a scoreless first to help the Panthers defeat the Mountaineers in Game 2.
Mary Pierce Barnes and Emma Jones both recorded RBIs for App State. Barnes' RBI came in the top half of the fourth by singling home Parrott to cut Georgia State's lead to 2-1, and Jones hit a solo homer in the sixth inning.
The Mountaineers allowed two unearned runs and gave up two home runs in the contest.
Taylor Nichols threw four innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out two batters. Sejal Neas took over in the fifth and allowed one earned run while striking out two batters.
