With stellar pitching and impressive play from underclassmen, the Georgia State softball team took two of three from George Mason in Fairfax, Va., this weekend. Georgia State swept the doubleheader on Saturday, winning the first game 3-0 and the second 6-0, but the Patriots won Sunday’s game 1-0, narrowly avoiding the sweep.
Freshman McCall Langford was outstanding this weekend, pitching a complete-game shutout in game one on Saturday, and continued to baffle Patriot hitters after coming on in relief of Heather Lowry in Sunday’s finale. The lefthander, now 12-2 in 2010, gave the Panthers a chance to sweep in Sunday’s game, allowing no runs and only three Patriot hits with two walks in relief after Lowry’s 1.2 innings pitched.
Langford began to turn heads back on March 5, when the La Grange native pitched a complete game against No. 23 Kentucky to lead the Panthers to a 7-1 victory. Langford earned CAA Rookie of the Week for the week ending March 8 for her performance and could easily receive CAA honors again after this weekend.
Sophomore Alana Thomas picked up where Langford left off in game one, pitching a four-hit shutout of her own in game two. The Athens native improves her record to 10-4 on the season.
Offensively, freshmen Audrey Mason and Whitney Phillips carried the Panthers to the series win. Mason, the CAA Co-Rookie of the Week for the week ending March 29, finished the day Saturday 3-for-6 with 6 of the 9 Panther RBIs.
Phillips, the CAA Rookie of the Week for the Week ending April 18, got the Panther offense going early in game one when she homered to left in the first inning to give the Panthers the lead. Phillips has gone deep three times so far in only 12 games played.
Phillips flashed some power in last weekend’s series win over James Madison in Panthersville, homering twice in her 4-for-4, four-RBI performance in game two against the Dukes. Despite her late start, Phillips leads all CAA hitters in triples with five.
Mason led the way for Panther hitters in game two behind a 2-for-3, four-RBI performance. Mason broke it open in the third inning of game two when she hit a bases-loaded single to right field to push the Panther advantage to 3-0. Mason came to bat again in the sixth, this time with runners at first and third. She would single again to tack on two more, giving the Panthers a six-run lead.
The Panthers are hot going into this weekend’s series against first-place Hofstra, having won 18 of their last 25, and the Panthers have protected their home turf well, amazingly only losing two games to CAA foes at home in 2010.
The matchup against the first and second-place teams promises to be a good one, as the Pride come in white hot as well, having won 21 of their last 25. Perhaps the most sobering statistic for Panther hitters, Pride pitching has thrown eight shutouts in their last 12 starts.
Hofstra will have some tough hitters to face in Panthersville, however, as Georgia State’s .273 average leads the conference, while pitching ranks third with an ERA of 2.45.
Defense is also part of head coach Bob Heck’s Panthers success in 2010, as Georgia State is second in the conference in team fielding at .974, a mark good for 11th in the nation. Georgia State leads the nation in double plays (30) and double plays per game (.70).
Junior Lauren Jones is perfect at first base, errorless so far in 2010. Jones’ bat gets most of the attention, however, as the Stockbridge native is in the top-two in the conference in homeruns (8), runs scored (29), walks (22), and RBIs (33).
Langford is currently 41st in the nation in ERA at 1.64, ninth in walks allowed per seven innings (1.07) and fifth nationwide in saves (5). She is also nationally ranked in wins, strikeouts per seven innings and hits allowed per seven innings.
The Panthers will control their own destiny, facing third-place Towson after the upcoming series against Hofstra to finish the 2010 regular season. The Panthers’ two wins against James Madison marks the sixteenth 30-win season, topping last season’s mark of 30-20.
Underclassmen lead softball to series win at George Mason
Published: Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Updated: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 18:04
 "Photo: N/A")
Freshman McCall Langford earned CAA Pitcher of the Week Honors for the week ending April 25. Langford is 41st in the nation with an ERA of 1.64
Be the first to comment on this article!