HIGHLIGHTS:•
Dixie Raley dealt a career-high 14 strikeouts
•
Emily Snider and
Taylor Rogers ended the weekend with 6 runs each
STATESBORO, Ga. – Freshman pitcher
Dixie Raley was lights out on the mound for Georgia Southern Sunday afternoon, striking out a career-high 14 batters while holding Appalachian State to just three hits in the Eagles' 3-0 win over the Mountaineers. The shutout victory gave GS the weekend sweep over App State.
Sunday's game was a Purple Game where GS invited fans to wear purple in an effort to raise awareness for those affected by Alzheimer's. The event was held in conjunction with the Statesboro chapter of the Walk to End Alzheimer's and the Alzheimer's Association and funds were raised to help in the battle against the disease.
For Georgia Southern (23-17, 9-3 SBC), six different Eagles registered a hit in the game led by junior
Emily Snider's 2-for-3 performance that included two runs scored. Over the three-game series with App State (9-33, 2-13), Snider scored six runs, matching
Taylor Rogers' scoring output.
In the bottom of the first inning, Snider registered the first hit of the game with a single up the middle and then stole second before advancing to third to set up an excellent scoring opportunity for freshman third baseman
Hannah Farrell. Farrell took advantage and sent a rocket up the middle, scoring Snider to put the Eagles up 1-0.
After three and a half innings passed scoreless where the two pitchers combined for nine strikeouts – seven by Raley – and gave up just four hits and two walks,
Morgan Robinson batted in both Rogers and Snider in the bottom of the fifth to put the Eagles up 3-0. The pair of runs batted in were the 42
nd and 43
rd of the season for the junior first baseman.
Raley (16-8) pitched a gem of a complete game, giving up just three hits and three walks while striking out her new career-best of 14 batters, besting her previous mark of 11 set against Coastal Carolina on Feb. 28. The freshman right-hander recorded the first six outs of the game for the Eagles via strikeout, and had at least two strikeouts in the first five innings. Annaleise Kennedy (2-11) started the game for App State but pitched just one full inning and then faced a pair of batters in the second before Vanessa Ciocatto came on to finish the game.
COACH SMITH SAYS"Today was a very important win for us, especially as far as the conference standings go. It's always hard to earn the sweep over another team, but our players came out wanting to make another statement today. I was very pleased with how we performed today from start to finish. Our offense battled up and down the lineup, our pitching was solid all game long and our defense bounced back and played well. This was another team win and gives us good momentum moving forward. We have played tough competition all year and that has set us up for success. If we continue to play smart and keep it simple, we will continue to grow as a team."
UP NEXTGeorgia Southern will return to action on Wednesday, Apr. 13, continuing the Eagles' current seven-game homestand when Kennesaw State travels to Statesboro for a 5 p.m. single game.
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,
twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Fans can purchase tickets to Georgia Southern Athletics events by visiting GSEagles.com/Tickets.
