Maness Pitches another No Hitter

Gainesville, GA - The #12 Brenau University Softball Team hosted their last home game for the regular season at Lanier Park Softball Complex, yesterday evening. Their conference opponent, Emmanuel College, came to the field with an overall record of 18-27, and 7-18 in the SSAC. The Golden Tigers were still placed at 2nd in the East Division, with an overall record of 37-7, and a conference record of 21-5.

Brenau was fired up before the game even started, anxious to close the regular season out right! As the first pitch was made to the Golden Tigers, the batters rallied to light the scoreboard up. They did just that, as they earned 5 runs in the 1st inning alone. Emmanuel could not find a way to fire back, seeing that Brenau was playing solid in every area. The 2nd inning was fairly quiet for the fans; neither team was able to make a run around the bases. At the bottom of the 3rd, the Golden Tigers put another run on the board, bringing their lead to 6-0. In the 4 remaining innings, a single hitter could not manage to make full contact. With that said, the final score remained at 6-0. Emmanuel's pitcher struck out 6 of the Golden Tigers' batters; however, that was no match for Brenau's pitcher, Anna Manness! She gave an exceptional performance, from the mound, as she pitched a no hitter.

Tiffany Schandera (Columbus, GA), continued in her lead off position, going 1-3 at the plate, with a triple. Katie Bolin (Danielsville, GA) went 2-4, earning a single, a triple, and 1 RBI. Morgan Smith (Covington, GA) and Sally Duggan (Huntsville, AL) both went 1-3 at bat, with a single. Jacqueline McWhorter (Columbus, GA) contributed with a single, while Jenny Shepherd (Martinez, GA) delivered a single and RBI. Kristina Reynolds (Bogart, GA) was big at the plate, going 2-2, with a homerun, a double, and 4 RBIs. The Golden Tigers delivered 6 runs from 9 hits, while recording 1 error. As stated earlier, Anna Maness (Seagrove, NC) pitched a no hitter, striking out 12 of Emmanuel's batters.

Once both teams had time to recuperate, they took their designated places on the field, and the final game of the Golden Tigers' regular season began. Emmanuel College struggled once again, as the Brenau pitching staff defended their field from any potential threats, from the plate. When the Golden Tigers stepped up to bat, in the 1st inning, they were sure to entertain their fans. As a team, they collected 5 runs, creating a lead of 5-0.

The next 2 innings were fairly calm as both teams attempted to land a run on the board. In the 4th, Brenau earned 4 additional runs, which put Emmanuel in the position of trailing behind them, by 9 runs. The Lady Lions appeared to rally in the dugout, attempting to gain some kind of momentum. At the top of the 5th, Emmanuel earned their 1st run of the game, and then collected another run, bringing the score to 9-2. Brenau favored their lead, and did not want to leave anything up to chance, so in the 6th inning, the Golden Tigers made 2 more runs, allowing them to close their final game early. Brenau University defeated Emmanuel College, 11-2, bringing their conference record to 23-5, with an overall record of 39-7.

Bolin proved to be consistent at the plate, while she went 2-4 with 2 singles. Both, Jana Bryant (Marietta, GA) and Taylor Kelly (Toccoa, GA), had gone 1-3 at bat, with a single and 2 RBIs. Shepherd, Schandera, and Duggan, each earned a single from their hit, while Smith went 1-2, with a double and 2 RBIs. Reynolds continued to help her team out, as she pulled out a single and 2 RBIs. While at bat, the team collected 11 runs from 9 hits, and recorded only 1 error. At the mound, Shepherd threw 10 strike outs, and Maness came in with 3.

The Golden Tigers next game has yet to be announced, however, the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament will begin Wednesday, April 27th.

(Check our website for tournament schedule updates).