Brenau Pitches No Hitter against Wesleyan

Macon, GA - On Thursday evening, the Brenau University Golden Tigers matched up against the Wesleyan College Pioneers, in a double header. Brenau, now 18-2, continues to build momentum onto their winning streak, after being named champions of the Gulf Coast Invitational. As for Wesleyan, they received 2 more loses, in their 0-8 season. There had been speculation on whether or not the Golden Tigers would make the mistake of underestimating the Pioneers, coming into this match; however, the scoreboard demonstrated that they did anything but that. As a team, they have regained their unwavering focus, which has allowed them to silence their opponents, on the field and scoreboard.

In the first game, Brenau University slaughtered Wesleyan College, with a score of 24-0. Starting the game off strong, in the 1st inning, Brenau took the lead with 4 runs. Then, they added 3 more runs to the score, in the 2nd. In the 3rd, Brenau was still not receiving pressure from Wesleyan's offense, so they took their time and earned 5 additional runs; moreover, the Golden Tigers seemed as though they could do no wrong, when they collected 9 runs alone, in the 4th inning. At the bottom of the 4th, Brenau University led 21-0, and they still were not done playing! During the 5th and final inning, Brenau took the opportunity to run the score up even more, by obtaining 3 extra runs. Within those 5 innings, Wesleyan College had 15 players at bat, yet none of them were able to acquire a single hit.

The Golden Tigers made it clear, that in order to produce a game such as this, a true team effort must be made. In doing so, Katie Bolin (Danielsville, GA) went 4-4 at the plate, earning a single, 3 doubles, and 4 RBIs. Jana Bryant (Marietta, GA) left the plate 4-5, with 4 singles, and 2RBIs. Both, Kristina Reynolds (Bogart, GA) and Taylor Schrader (Henegar, AL), received 3 hits, earning them 2 singles, a double, and multiple RBIs. As for Sally Duggan (Huntsville, AL), she went 2-5 at bat, with 2 singles, and 3RBIs; while Austin Smith (Cumming, GA) and Brooke Bryant (Royston, GA) earned 2 hits at the plate, collecting 2 singles, and 2 RBIs. Jenny Shepherd (Martinez, GA) also helped out, when she went 2-5, with a single, double, and 4RBIs. Furthermore, freshman pitcher, Kristina Reynolds, did not just perform well at the plate, but she did so at the mound too. She threw 6 strikeouts, pitching the 2nd perfect game in school history!

Moreover, in the second game, against Wesleyan College, Brenau University won 18-0. The Golden Tigers were quick to take the lead of 1-0, in the 1st inning. Consequently, they continued to build on their lead throughout the rest of the game. They scored 3 runs in the 2nd, and an impressive 7 more, in the 3rd. As the game progressed, so did the Tigers' drive to push for another perfect game against the Pioneers. In the 4th, Brenau earned 4 additional runs, and closed the last inning of the game by adding 3 more points to the score board. Once again, Wesleyan was only allowed the opportunity to have 15 players at bat, and none of them managed to earn a run, from Brenau's pitcher.

Due to Brenau refusing to be careless in the second game, the softball team demonstrated the depth of their skills and mentality. Jacqueline McWhorter (Columbus, GA) dominated offensively, by going 3-5 at the plate, with a single, double, triple, and 2 RBIs. Kristina Reynolds had another great game; she went 2-4 at bat, earning a single, double, and 3 RBIs. Taylor Schrader, Brooke Bryant, and Tiffany Schandera (Columbus, GA), all secured 2 hits each, and obtained multiple singles and RBIs. Austin Smith helped the team out, by getting 2 hits, with 2 singles, while Jana Bryant contributed 1 hit and a single. As for Sally Duggan, she went 2-3 at the plate, earning 2 doubles, and 3 RBIs, but that's not all, she also managed to collect a total of 10 strikeouts, pitching a no hitter!

Head Coach, Devon Thomas, made the comment "I've been very lucky to be able to use everybody on our bench, to achieve these past victories. The success we've had so far is due to the fact that our bench is so deep, in talent. Most coaches dream of having a team this talented, and I'm fortunate to experience just that, this season".