Jayden Berkin, Sports Reporter
The UNC Pembroke softball team got things rolling on Saturday afternoon when they welcomed Mount Olive to town for a regular season doubleheader finale. The Braves got things rolling and controlled the pace of the game coming away in a five inning 10-1 win.
The first score of the day would come from Mount Olive’s Emma Mooney, tallying an RBI after Laci Best singled up the middle to give the Trojans the advantage 1-0. The Braves would respond in the bottom of the first with an RBI of their own after a single up the middle from Kynley Brewer and three walks from Jai Deese, Charlotte Rose and Chloe Locklear to tie it up 1-1.
The bottom of the third is where things really started to heat up for the Braves. With bases loaded thanks to the likes of a leadoff double from Marijo Wilkes and walks from both Rose and Locklear, Mackenzie Collins hit a triple down the right field line to put the Braves up 4-1. The Braves would then have runners on the corners after Emma Eckhart was hit by a pitch before Kaitlyn King lit up the scoreboard with a three-run homer to give the Braves the edge 7-1 heading into the fourth.
The Braves would then score again in the fourth thanks to a Wilkes homer to left field, an RBI double from Summer Bullard managed to plate two runs across the seal the game and come away with the win.
Bullard took the win in the cirlcle for the Braves, going five innings, giving up seven hits and one run while striking out six and walking one.
In the second game of the day, the Trojans took control early and defeated the Braves 4-1 in a game that officially was called in the seventh inning due to lightning in the area.
The Braves managed to string together five total hits and a Deese homer to the left managed to put the Braves on the scoreboard, but the Trojans sealed things early.
Kinsley Sheppard took the loss for the Braves surrendering eight hits and four runs while striking out eight and walking two in six innings of work.
The Braves will now turn their focus to the Conference Carolinas Softball Championship Tournament where they will face seven seed Southern Wesleyan in a play-in game on Thursday starting at 10 a.m. The winner will face North Greenville later that afternoon at 5 p.m.