ANDERSON, S.C. - Strong pitching and an opportunistic offense lifted the Anderson University softball team to a doubleheader sweep, 6-2 and 5-1, past West Georgia in non-conference play Sunday afternoon at Smethers Field.

Anderson (14-2) upped its win streak to 14 games with the sweep, while West Georgia slipped to 4-6 on the season.

Game #1
Anderson 6, West Georgia 2

Sophomore shortstop Abby Child was 2-for-2 in the opener, ripping her team-leading sixth home run off the scoreboard in center field in the fifth inning and also posted a third-inning double, while recording two RBI. Freshman Bri Cason was also 2-for-2 with an RBI and scored a run, while sophomore Laura Jansky finished the game 2-for-3, with a home run and a single and scored twice.

The opener amounted to a pitchers' duel until the bottom of the third inning, when the Trojans snapped a scoreless tie with a solo run in the bottom of the frame. Freshman Jessica Neidigh ripped a one-out single into right-center and scored on Child's clutch two-out double to right-center.

Anderson went ahead 2-0 in the fourth when Jansky led off with a single to center, moved to third on Rachel Rhodes' double and crossed the plate on Cason's sacrifice fly to center.

AU hurler Larissa Ostapiak (6-1) worked out of a two-out bases-loaded jam in the top of the fifth inning by inducing a ground ball to the right side of the infield, while the Trojan defense was stellar all afternoon.

The Trojans added a pair of insurance runs in the fifth, as Child and Jansky both went deep beyond the fence to boost the AU lead to 4-0 and took advantage of Wolves' miscues in the sixth inning to another pair of runs.

Ostapiak lost the shutout in the seventh inning, as West Georgia tallied two runs off three hits. The right-hander tossed seven complete innings, while issuing five walks.

Senior Antoinette Diaz absorbed the loss for West Georgia, as AU worked the right-hander for four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings. She struck out three and walked two.

Game #2
Anderson 5, West Georgia 1

Child finished the nightcap with two singles in four at-bats and recorded an RBI, while sophomore Danielle Swygert went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI. Cason added a sixth-inning bunt single in two times to the plate.

Senior pitcher Amber Duncan (7-0) struggled early in the circle for the Trojans, as the Wolves capitalized on three walks and a bunt single to jump out to a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Duncan also worked out of a one-out bases-loaded jam in the top of the fourth inning by getting Wolves' catcher Lindsay Ellenburg to pop out to shortstop and then struck out second-baseman Kaley Sullivan to end the threat.

The Trojans capitalized on back-to-back extra-base hits in the bottom of the fourth to even the score. Jansky blasted her first career triple to the base of the fence in right-center field and Rhodes followed with a double to the center-field fence to bring home Jansky.

Anderson took a lead it would not relinquish in the next inning, with freshman Rebecca Martin beating out an infield single with one out and Swygert lacing a two-out opposite field double down the left-field line to give the Trojans a 2-1 edge.

The Trojans erupted for three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth to go ahead, 5-1, while Duncan settled down after the first inning and shut out the Wolves by scattering four singles over the final five innings. She stayed perfect on the season by surrendering just the one run and struck out four, while walking seven.

Anderson returns to action on Tuesday, when the Trojans play host to Young Harris College, with first-pitch slated for 2 p.m. at Smethers Field.