Softball Chargers split playoff doubleheader at GMC; rubber game Wednesday

The Georgia Highlands College softball team earned a doubleheader split at Georgia Military College Tuesday night to force a deciding third game in their best-of-three GCAA semifinal series with the Bulldogs.

GMC won Tuesday’s opening game 9-3, but the Chargers responded in the second game with a 10-2 victory. The third and deciding game in the series is scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday in Milledgeville. The winner will advance to the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association championship series Friday and Saturday in Locust Grove.

With their season on the line in Game 2, the Chargers trailed 2-0 heading to the bottom of the fourth inning when they scored six times — all with two outs. A pair of walks, two singles, an error, and a two-run homer by Lacey Rutledge gave Georgia Highlands a 6-2 lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, another four run inning ended the game by run-rule.

Three singles, a walk, and a walk-off double by Allison Daffron gave the Chargers a 10-2 win.

Madalyn Morton earned the pitching win with six innings in the circle. After the two early runs, she settled in and shut down the Bulldogs. Morton gave up four hits and five walks. She had one strikeout.

Madison Bennett had three hits and two RBIs in the win. Hailey Cronic had a hit and two RBIs. Halie Walther and Natalia Herrera contributed one hit each.

In Game 1, Georgia Military scored at least one run in five of their six offensive frames for a 9-3 win.

Montana Ledbetter (5 IP, 6ER, 7H, 4BB, 10K) suffered the pitching loss for the Chargers although she fanned 10 in five innings. Maggie Schandera (1 IP, 3ER, 4H, 1BB) worked the final inning in the circle for GHC.

Kyndal Brown had two hits for Georgia Highlands. Cronic drove in a pair of runs and had a hit. Bennett, Herrera, and Walther added one hit each.