GREENWOOD - Martika Elmore earned two victories on the mound and Morgan Patrick hit two home runs to lead the UNC Pembroke softball team to a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader sweep against Lander Friday afternoon at Doug Spears Field. The Braves won the first game, 8-4, and claimed the second, 6-4. (Game 1 Box | Game 2 Box)
UNCP is now 18-26 overall and 7-9 in the PBC, while Lander is 13-27, 2-14.
In the first game, Elmore (3-5) picked up the first of her two victories on the day as she limited Lander to four hits on no earned runs in four innings of relief.
The Bearcats’ Hayley Leissner (9-19) took the loss as she struck out four and allowed five hits in 3.2 innings pitched.
UNCP posted a 1-0 lead in the second Lynn Grantham’s sacrifice fly.
Lander took a 3-1 lead in the fourth when the Bearcats scored all three runs on UNCP errors.
The Braves regained the lead at 4-3 in the fifth when Jamie Burwell’s RBI double plated Randi Pruitt and Candace Evans’ two-run single scored Burwell and Lauren Marshall. UNCP stretched the lead to 5-3 in the sixth on Jelena Shaw’s solo homer. The Braves added three more runs in the seventh when Shaw’s two-RBI single plated Carissa Dancer and Grantham and Courtney Hill added an RBI single.
For UNCP, Shaw went 3-for-5 with one home run, two runs scored and three RBI. Pruitt (1-for-3, one run), Loren Bartz (2-for-4) and Burwell (1-for-3, two runs, one RBI) all doubled. Hill batted 2-for-5 with one RBI.
For Lander, Aubrie Phillips batted 1-for-3 with one double, while Haley Foster went 2-for-4 with one run scored, Carrie Hudson 2-for-4 and Shelly Grimsley 2-for-3.
In the second game, Elmore earned the win as she struck out five, walked two and allowed just one earned run on nine hits in the complete seven innings.
Lander’s Grimsley (0-4) suffered the loss as she struck out two, walked one and allowed four earned runs on eight hits in seven innings.
The Braves broke a 4-4 tie in the seventh on Shaw’s two-RBI single to center field.
Lander took a 2-0 lead in the first with runs on a UNCP error and a wild pitch, then extended the lead to 3-0 in the second on Natalie’s Smith’s RBI groundout.
UNCP tied the game at 3-3 in the third on Patrick’s three-run homer.
Lander came back to take a 4-3 lead in the fifth on Lindsey’s Traynham’s RBI single, only to have the Braves tie the game again at 4-4 in the sixth on Patrick’s second home run.
For UNCP, Patrick went 2-for-3 with two home runs and four RBI, while Shaw batted 2-for-4 with one run and two RBI, and Dancer went 2-for-3 with one run scored.
For Lander, Foster batted 2-for-4 with two runs scored and Traynham hit 2-for-3 with one run.
