What you need to know:
* Georgia State swept Western Carolina in a doubleheader Wednesday at the Bob Heck Softball Complex.
* The Panthers won the first game 11-4 and the second game 10-5.
* GSU hosts Texas State this weekend for a Sun Belt series with a doubleheader Saturday and finale Sunday.
ATLANTA – Georgia State's softball team used 22 hits and 21 runs to sweep Wednesday's doubleheader against Western Carolina, earning 11-4 and 10-5 victories to improve to 16-12 on the season.
“I challenged the team to bring better energy to the field and I feel like that's happened” head coach Roger Kincaid said. “We're seeing more pitches and having better at bats and it's paying off. We're getting better every time we go out there and that's all you can ask for.”
The offense got a jumpstart in Game 1 off the bat of Kensey Caldwell, who belted her second three-run home run in as many days to give GSU a 3-0 lead in the first inning. The Panthers would explode for eight runs in the third inning, including freshman Arden Jobe's first career home run, a grand slam to left field. The Catamounts got on the board in the fourth inning with a grand slam of their own, but senior Chelsea Stanfield (1-1) came in to pitch and threw 3.2 innings, giving up no runs on just one hit and striking out four.
Game 2 also began with Caldwell giving GSU an early lead. The junior drew a bases-loaded walk to score a run in the first, but the lead wouldn't hold. Western Carolina took its first lead of the day with a two-run home run in the third inning. The Panthers tied the game in the bottom half, but the Catamounts added another run in the fourth to go up 3-2. Sophomore Brenna Skalski helped fuel GSU to a seven-run fourth to regain the lead for good. The speedster lined a ball to the left-field wall and showed off her wheels, reaching third for a three-RBI, bases-clearing triple. WCU used three pitchers in the inning as GSU pulled ahead 9-3. WCU made things interesting in the top of the seventh, scoring two runs to pull within five, but Stanfield came on to close the door, sealing the 10-5 win.
Over the last three games, Caldwell is 6-for-11 with 10 RBI, two home runs and four runs scored. As a team, GSU has won five games in a row, outscoring opponents 46-12. The Panthers are hitting .364 as a squad over the stretch.
Georgia State will return to the field this weekend to host Sun Belt-foe Texas State at the Bob Heck Softball Complex. The Panthers and Bobcats will play a doubleheader Saturday with the first game set to begin at 1 p.m. The series finale will be Sunday at noon. Both Saturday games will have live audio on GeorgiaStateSports.com and the GSU Mobile Apps.
Follow along with Georgia State on Twitter (@GSU_Softball) for the latest news.
