Softball Sweeps Stanly To Go 4-0 on Weekend

SPARTANBURG, SC – The Lady Pioneers posted a pair of wins over Stanly Community College on Sunday to cap off their first 4-0 weekend of the season.

Game one saw SMC quickly get on the board in the first inning after Jackie Slawson singled to left, and went to third on the over throw and scored on a passed ball.

Leah Babson and Jazmine Holliday reached base on a hit batter and walk, but Stanly got out of the jam.

Stanly took the lead in the second after a single and homerun started the inning.

SMC starter Ashira Dobison got out of the inning with no further damage; But Stanly would hold the lead at 2-1 until the bottom of the sixth inning when Slawson singled, stole second base and scored on Babson's rbi double to left.

Holliday reached first on a infield single and Jena Westmoreland doubled to deep left, driving in Babson and Holliday and giving the Pioneers the 4-2 win.

Dana Smith picked up the win in relief throwing three innings and only allowing one hit.

"Stanly has a good ball club and a very good pitcher. She did a good job on us for most of the day. We stayed patient and made some adjustments at the plate. We came up big in the sixth, plating three runs and taking the lead," says head coach Thad Fox.

"Dana threw great in relief of Ashira and picked up her first win of the year. Jackie continues to be a table setter for us and puts so much pressure on the defense with her triple threat ability and speed," adds Fox.

The Lady Pioneers dominated in game two and took a six-inning, 9-1 win.

Smith picked up her second win of the year and the day as she started the game on the mound allowing one run on five hits.

SMC started quickly in the first after Morgan Blanton tripled to right field and walked home after  Holliday tripled to deep left field.

Jena Westmoreland beat out a infield single scoring Holliday.

The Lady Pioneers tacked on two more runs in the third after Babson drew a leadoff walk on scored on Holliday's long homerun to deep right field.

In the fifth, Slawson hit the Lady Pioneers' third triple of the game and scored on Blanton's suicide squeeze bunt.

The  sixth inning started after Brittany Phillips doubled and advanced to third on Slawson's infield hit. Both Slawson and Phillips scored on Babson's double to left field.

Holliday then drove in her fourth run of the game with a single to center scoring Babson. Westmoreland followed that up with a single down the line to score Holliday for the game's final run.

"Seven extra base hits in the second game was very impressive. Jazmine just continues to hit well and she has power to all fields. She double and tripled to left field, homered to right and singled to center while beating out a couple infield hits. When she takes that approach she is very hard to get out. Usually Britni Ward is our game two starter, but with Dana Smith throwing three innings in relief we made the decision to stay with her and use Ward in relief if needed. Dana did a great job a got out of a little trouble in a couple innings but scattered five hits, one walk, and one run over six innings," says Fox.

"But a four-game weekend sweep gets us back in a race for better positioning for the Region X tourney. With 10 more homes games, we hope to get on a roll for the tourney," he commented.

Spartanburg Methodist College has 14 intercollegiate teams that compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association, which includes colleges in the Carolinas, Virginia, and West Virginia. The College is in its 99th year of providing quality education to students in a Christian environment.  More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning.

For more information contact the SMC Sports Information office at (864) 587-4008 or sportsinfo@smcsc.edu