Chargers ready for conference tourney following doubleheader split at Georgia Military College

The Georgia Highlands softball team earned a road doubleheader split with conference-leading Georgia Military College Saturday dropping the opener 11-3 before taking the second game, 3-1.

The host Bulldogs will be the No. 1-seed in next week’s Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association Championship tournament at Strong Rock Christian School and the Chargers will be the tournament’s No. 3-seed.

In the first game Saturday, Georgia Highlands fell behind in the early innings and could not recover.

The hosting Bulldogs posted six runs in the first two frames to build an early 6-2 advantage then added on late in an 11-3 win.

Audrey Johnson hit a solo home run for the Chargers in the third inning to narrow the margin to 6-3, but it was all Georgia Military after that.

Avery Mercer had a four-hit game for the Bulldogs and drove in three of their runs.

Johnson finished with two hits including her homer and drove in two runs. Madison Dennis also had two hits for Georgia Highlands. Malone Aldridge, Abigail Lathrop, Brady Tharp, Allison Deweee (RBI), Jordan Blair, and Avery Fisher contributed one hit apiece for the Chargers.

Jaycie Hand (2 IP, 6R, 4ER, 8H, 0BB) and Emma Veitch (3.2 IP, 5R, 3ER, 9H, 0BB, 3K) handled the first game pitching duties for GHC.

Avien Trull (6 IP, 3ER, 10H, 2BB) tossed a six-inning complete game for the Bulldogs.

Sophomore shortstop Madison Dennis drove in all three Chargers' runs Saturday in a 3-1 win at Georgia Military College.

In the second game of the day, the Chargers bounced back to knock off GMC behind a strong pitching performance by Rena Fraga. The southpaw and East Paulding High School product tossed a seven-inning complete game and allowed just a single, unearned run while scattering nine hits and one walk.

Meanwhile, the GHC offense was powered by Dennis who doubled home a run in the third inning for a 1-0 lead, then smacked a two-run home run in the fifth inning for all the scoring Fraga and the Chargers’ defense would need.

Deweese had two hits in the GHC victory. Aldridge, Lathrop, and Taylor Justice had the other Chargers’ hits in the game.

Georgia Military finishes up the regular season 34-16 overall and 20-4 in the GCAA.

Georgia Highlands will head to the conference tournament with a 20-28 season record after finishing 14-10 in conference action.

The GCAA tournament is slated for May 10-11 at Strong Rock Christian School in Locust Grove.