Weekend Recap: Visit Dothan Invitational

DOTHAN, AL --  The rain was defintely a threat, but the Highlanders were able to leave Dothan, AL with a 2-3 record on the weekend and 5 quality games under their belt. 

Game 1:  Gordon State College 5 Wallace State Hanceville 3

Game 1 proved to be an exciting start to the Visit Dothan Invitational for Gordon State College.  The Highlanders ran off with the lead late in the game to secure a 5-3 victory over Wallace State – Hanceville.  The Lions struck first in the 2nd inning by taking a 2-0 lead over the Highlanders.  Addy Allegretti answered back in the top of the 4^th inning to tie the game at 2-2 with her towering blast over the left field wall scoring Hannah Rae Griffin.  The Highlanders scored again the 5^th inning when Morgan Sterrett singled to center field scoring Shelby Sims, making the score 3-2.  Wallace State plated one more run in the bottom of the 6^th on a sacrifice fly to left field to tie the game at three, but it was Sims that answered the call for the Highlanders in the top of the 7^th with her 2-run home run to give Gordon State the 5-3 lead for good.  Maddie Green was the winning pitcher for Highlanders. She allowed six hits and three runs over seven innings, striking out ten and walking one.

Game 2:  #5 Chipola College 8 Gordon State College 0

There Highlanders were hoping to use their momentum from the victory over Wallace State during their second match-up of the day against the #5 nationally ranked Chipola College Indians.  The Highlanders thought they were going into the top of the 4^th inning of a scoreless game, but an overturned call at home plate for the final out of the 3rd inning gave Chipola their first run of the game and another chance to score as a runner was on 3rd base.  This was all the momentum the Indians needed as Ally Clegg hit a 2-run home run on the very next pitch to give the Indians the 3-0 lead.  The Indians never looked back.  Chipola went on to score 5 more runs in the 5^th inning to secure the 8-0 victory.  Maddie Greene took the loss for Highlanders. She surrendered eight runs on five hits over four and a third innings, striking out three.  Cheyanne Mosteller, Morgan Sterrett, and Hannah Coulter all had one hit to lead Highlanders.

Game 3:  #3 Florida Southwestern State College 21 Gordon State College 0

The Highlanders would like to forget a lot of things about day 2 of the Visit Dothan Invitational, especially the score in their loss to the #3 nationally ranked Bucs of Florida Southwestern State.  The Bucs manufactured 21 runs on 15 hits.  The Highlanders only managed two hits against the Bucs pitching, both singles from Hunter Lee and Brooke Tyson.  Savannah Chalfant took the loss on the mound, giving up 3 earned runs on 6 hits while striking out 3. 

Game 4:  #2 Salt Lake Community College 7 Gordon State College 1

The Highlanders watched the game slip away early and couldn't recover in a 7-1 loss to the #2 nationally ranked Salt Lake Community College Bruins on Friday night. SLCC scored 4 runs in the bottom of the first, which proved to be all the offense they needed.  The Highlanders struggled to put runs on the board and had a tough time defensively containing Salt Lake's speed on the bases, giving up seven runs.  Maddie Green took the loss for Highlanders. She allowed eight hits and seven runs over six innings, striking out five.

Hannah Rae Griffin, Cheyanne Mosteller, Hunter Lee, Katie Reed, and McKenzie Barnes all had one hit to lead Highlanders.

Game 5:  Gordon State College 5 Walters State Community College 4

The Highlanders were able to add an additional game on Saturday morning and were looking to redeem themselves from Friday's play. It came down to the wire, with Highlanders taking victory on a dramatic pinch-hit, walk-off double by Savannah Chalfant scoring Lauren DeLoach that sealed their victory over Walters State.

The Highlanders also had a big inning in the 5^th, scoring 4 runs driven by a triple by Cheyanne Mosteller and a double by DeLoach.

Maddie Greene started the game for Highlanders. She went six and a third innings, allowing four runs on six hits and striking out three.  But it was Natalie Hardy who got her first collegiate win for Highlanders. She came in to the tied ball game in the top of the 7^th and lasted two-thirds of an inning, allowing zero hits and zero runs while striking out one and walking zero. 

Highlanders racked up a total of nine hits in the game. Hannah Coulter and DeLoach all had multiple hits for Highlanders.

What's Next:  The Highlanders will travel to Gulf Shores, AL on Thursday to compete in the Sun Chiefs Classic on February 16th and 17th.  This tournament is hosted by Coastal Alabama - South.