Finally gaining some momentum, the Braves came into a weekend doubleheader against Newberry hot and ready to go. However, when the games started they couldn’t get the bats going.
The Black and Gold managed to split the series 1-1, but they only scored three runs total between the two games. A positive note for the Lady Braves is their pitching has been outstanding the past few games and has kept them in games for the most part.
In the first game against Newberry it was a good, old-fashioned pitchers duel. The score was 1-0 heading into the seventh inning. Sophomore pitcher Malerie Leviner and Newberry’s combination of Emily Marchbanks and Selice Daley made for quite the defensive showcase.
Marchbanks allowed only one hit through 4.1 innings and Daley pitched 2.2 innings of three hit ball. Leviner was the first pitcher to blink giving up an RBI double in the second inning. After that, it was five innings of no runs being scored.
UNCP tied up the game in the top of the seventh with an RBI single by Jamie Johnson, but would eventually give up the lead and the game in the bottom of the inning. Leviner’s final statline would end up with six hits and two runs allowed through 6.2 innings.
The loss brought her record on the season to 1-2 and put the Braves at a 7-6 record overall. In her previous game she pitched, Breezy Yelton dealt her first shutout of the season.
She doubled that number after the final game against Newberry, pitching yet another gem in route to a 2-0 win by the Braves. The only scoring in the game was provided by Taylor Gerhart as she hit a two RBI single in the fifth.
Things could have been worse for Newberry as the Black and Gold left plenty of runners on base compiling ten hits throughout the game. Yelton’s record now sits at 4-1 and the freshman phenom is looking like an absolute ace for this Braves team.
She leads the team in almost every major pitching category and has looked dominant in her past two contests. Between her and starting counterpart Leviner, the Black and Gold look poised to make a run in the Peach Belt Conference so long as their offense manages to pick up their struggles.
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