Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
BOONE, N.C. – Georgia Southern Softball took the first two games of a three-game set against Appalachian State with a doubleheader sweep on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles took the opener 4-0 behind a 12-strikeout performance from Sarah Purvis. In game two, a Shelby Morrill grand slam propelled the Eagles to a 9-4 win. The same teams are back in action on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.

With the win in the series opener, Head Coach Annie Smith inked her name in the Georgia Southern record book as the fastest coach to 100 wins at the University. She needed just 161 games to reach the milestone in the middle of her third season with the Eagles.

"We got another solid team win today," said Smith. "Our pitchers handled their batters well and we picked up some key hits. Shelby's grand slam in game two really changed the complexion of that game. It is always tough to get the sweep to start the series, now we look forward to tomorrow's game."

Georgia Southern is now 26-11 on the year with a 10-1 mark in SoCon play. Appalachian State falls to 13-21 overall and 3-7 in the SoCon.

GAME ONE
GS 4, APP 0

Shelby Morrill put the Eagles up 1-0 in the first inning with a two-out home run to centerfield. Her fourth home run of the season gave the Eagles their first lead of the day and the team's first home run since March 22nd in the series opener against Elon.

From there, starting pitcher Sarah Purvis took control, keeping the Mountaineers scoreless on the day as she extended her scoreless streak to 22.2 consecutive innings without allowing a run. She notched 12 strikeouts, matching her season-best total and posing 10+ strikeouts in each of her last three appearances.

Georgia Southern tallied three more runs in the seventh inning with the help of a pair of Appalachian State errors. Kourtny Thomas recorded the only RBI of the inning with her double to center.

Those runs gave the Eagles an insurmountable 4-0 advantage that would turn into Purvis' 14th win of the season. It was also the 55th win of Purvis' career which gives her the Georgia Southern career wins record, surpassing Aimee Littlejohn's record of 54 between 1999 and 2002.

GAME TWO
GS 9, APP 4

The teams traded opening inning runs with the Eagles posting a sacrifice fly to score a run. Appalachian State took advantage of a wild pitch to level the game at 1-1 after an inning of play.

Appalachian took their first run of the game in the second inning by manufacturing an infield single into a run with a stolen base and a sacrifice bunt.

The Eagles exploded for four runs in the fourth inning to take a 6-2 lead. Shelby Morrill delivered her second home run of the day, this time in the form of a grand slam, to do the damage. It was the second grand slam of the season for the Eagles, the first coming on February 21st against Troy.

Lexi Allen added another run in the fifth when she powered a line drive home run to center. It was her second home run of the season and the seventh of her career. The junior from Metter has thrived in Boone, hitting four total home runs over her career.

Emily Snider hit a two-run bomb in the sixth to extend the lead to 9-2. It was her fourth career home run and second in league play

The home team bounced back in the bottom of the sixth by converting a double into a run with one out and adding another tally via a solo home run off the bat of Cara Parker, her fifth of the season. The Eagles, got out of the inning with a five-run advantage, leading 9-4.

Brooke Red worked around seven Appalachian State hits to improve her record to 10-4 on the season. She struck out three Appalachian State batters against just one walk and earned her fourth victory in league play.

The same two teams are back on the diamond for the final game of the three-game series on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Fans can follow the game Twitter @GSAthletics and @GSAthletics_SB with special pictures and insights into the contest.

Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics and twitter.com/GSAthletics. To purchase tickets call 1-800-GSU-WINS.