HIGHLIGHTS:
• Morgan Robinson hit her 8^th home run of the season in game 1
• Emily Snider hit her 3^rd home run of the season in game 2
• Rowan McGuire, Lydia Witkowski and Snider all had two RBI in game 2
• Witkowski had the game-winning hit in game 2
 
STATESBORO, Ga. – With 15 alumni in attendance for the Georgia Southern softball team's annual Alumni Day, the Eagles swept a crucial Sun Belt Conference doubleheader over longtime rival Appalachian State Saturday afternoon. The Eagles claimed the doubleheader by scores of 6-2 and 11-7 on a blustery day at Eagle Field.
 
Game 1 – GS 6, APP 2
Georgia Southern (22-17, 8-3 SBC) never trailed in the day's first game en route to claiming the 6-2 win spurred by Morgan Robinson's eighth home run of the season in the first inning. The junior first baseman tallied three RBI on the knock – driving her season RBI tally to 41 once the day was done. She drove in Taylor Rogers and Emily Snider to put the Eagles up 3-0 in the first.
 
In the top of the third, Jenny Dodd hit her eighth home run of the season for App State (9-32, 2-12), scoring Cara Parker to pull the Mountaineers within one at 3-2. But that was all the scoring for App State as Georgia Southern's defense would hold them scoreless for the rest of the game.
 
In the bottom of the fourth, Emily Snider extended the lead out to two runs when she sent a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring India Davis. The Eagles rounded out their scoring in the bottom of the sixth with a pair of runs from Rogers and Snider. Rogers scored off an RBI single by Hannah Farrell to right-center field and Snider scored when Michelle Mazur came in to pinch hit and recorded a single to left-center field.
 
Robinson led the offensive drive for the Eagles with a 2-for-3 effort at the plate that included her round tripper, a double, her one run scored and three batted in. Mazur was 1-for-1, coming on to pinch hit in the sixth.
 
Dixie Raley (15-7) recorded the win in the circle for GS, pitching all seven innings while striking out four batters. Vanessa Ciocatto (7-15) accepted the loss for App State after pitching the first inning.
 
Game 2 – GS 11, APP 7
The Eagles led off the second game by scoring two runs in the bottom of the first when Lydia Witkowski scored on a passed ball and Rogers scored a few batters later. But App State came back in the top of the second to take the Mountaineers' first lead of the day by scoring a trio of runs.
 
The Eagles did not stay down for long as Snider delivered a two-run home run in the bottom of the third to give Georgia Southern the lead back. Rogers scored from first on the blast, marking her third run scored on the day. Rogers ended the day with five runs scored.
 
App State was able to retake the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth and extended that advantage with another two runs in the sixth, but the Eagles did not give up and battled back in the bottom of the frame by plating seven runs to claim the win.
 
In that half inning, the Eagles loaded the bases before Rowan McGuire took advantage of her pinch hitting opportunity with one out by ripping a single to right-center field and scoring both A.J. Hamilton and Mazur to pull GS to within one at 7-6. Witkowski then recorded the game-winning hit when she sent a single up the middle, driving in Alesha Mann and Davis. Robinson extended that lead to 9-7 a few batters later when she drew a bases loaded walk, scoring Witkowski, and Hamilton finished off the scoring drive with a two-RBI single up the middle to set the score at 11-7. Both Snider and Rogers scored on the hit.
 
Witkowski and Rogers both had two hits in the game with Rogers going 2-for-3 with three runs scored and Witkowski finished the contest 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. Snider went 1-for-2 with two runs scored and two runs batted in.
 
Heather Felt (1-1) came on to pitch the final one and two-thirds of an inning to claim her first win of the season after Kierra Camp started the game. Ciocatto (7-16) came on to pitch for App State in the bottom of the sixth with bases loaded and nobody out and was saddled with the loss after allowing the seven runs. Annaleise Kennedy started the game for the Mountaineers.
 
COACH SMITH SAYS
"I'm really happy with our performance today, especially our comeback win in the second game. We were down late but I was really proud of how we came back to score seven runs there in the sixth inning. It was a total team effort all day to earn these two wins. Our pitchers did a very good job for us, our hitters stepped up and battled hard at the plate all day, and while we made some mistakes on defense, we battled through it. We did a lot of good things today, and I am really happy for our team to earn another series victory."

UP NEXT
The Eagles and Mountaineers will play the third and final game of the series on Sunday, Apr. 10. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. and fans are encouraged to wear purple as the game will be the Eagles Purple Game to raise funds and awareness for Alzheimer's research.

 
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