ANDERSON, S.C. - Solid pitching efforts and timely hitting lifted the Anderson softball to a pair of non-conference wins past Columbia College, 2-0 and 4-3 Thursday evening at Smethers Field.

With the sweep Anderson ended a 14-day layoff with their sixth straight win and improved to 17-6 on the season, while Columbia dropped to 6-16.

Game #1
Anderson 2, Columbia 0

Senior hurler Casey Deer improved to 9-5, while allowing just four hits and tossing her third complete-game shutout of the season in the pitcher's duel. The right-hander struck out nine and did not issue a walk, while allowing just two Koalas to reach second base. .

Freshman shortstop Abby Child was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, while freshman Charlotte Sieber posted a pair of singles and scored a run.

After stranding eight base-runners through the first four innings, the Trojans snapped a scoreless tie in the fifth inning by stringing together back-to-back one-out hits. Senior Emily Monteith lined a single down the right-field line, moved into scoring position with her fifth stolen base of the season and scored the game-winning run when Child ripped a single into left-center.

Anderson added an insurance run in the sixth when Sieber led off the inning by beating out an infield single to shortstop. She stole second and moved to third on Kinsley Durham's grounder back to Barr in the circle and crossed the plate a batter later when Brooke Lucas chopped one to the pitcher, whose throw to the plate was wide and got away from the Koala catcher.

Game #2
Anderson 4, Shaw 3

Freshman Danielle Swygert finished the game 3-for-4 with two runs scored, as Sieber added two hits and went 2-for-3 with two RBI.

Deer pitched three innings of scoreless relief, while striking out five to earn the win. The Trojans worked Columbia reliever Brittany Barr for a run off five hits in 1 2/3 innings, saddling her with her second setback of the day.

The Koalas took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but AU countered with a solo run in the bottom of the frame to even the score, when Sieber singled to right, scoring Swygert from third.

Columbia used the long ball to regain a 3-1 advantage in the fourth, when Kacie Davenport and Barr sandwiched solo home runs over the left-field fence around a ground out.

The Trojans knotted the score with two unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth, while sending eight batters to the plate.

Anderson junior Amber Duncan led off the final inning by drawing a walk and moved to second on Sieber's sacrifice bunt to the third baseman. She went to third when the Columbia second baseman misplayed Durham's hard-hit ball and scored when Lucas delivered a one-out game-winner through the left side of a drawn-in infield.

Anderson gets back on the diamond on Friday when the Trojans open South Atlantic Conference play by playing host to Brevard College. First-pitch versus the Tornados is slated for 4 p.m.