LAGRANGE, Ga.-- The Berry Viking improve to 6-0 on the season by securing two 8-0 run-rule wins on Wednesday afternoon against LaGrange College.

Game One

Ava Fouts improved to 3-0 on the year in the circle, adding two strikeouts to her loaded arsenal. 

The Vikings broke through a scoring deficit in the top of the third inning. Fouts led the inning off with a single to center field before Elly Bennett advanced Fouts to second with a single in the same direction. Lauren Cothern drew a walk, loading the bases before Kennedy Moody hit a missile to left field on a full count to score Fouts.

Berry capitalized on aggressive base running and defensive miscues from the Panthers to extend its lead in the inning. Haylee Dishmon executed a squeeze play to score El. Bennett from third while Moody and Cothern advanced into scoring position. Later in the frame, Erica Bennett was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, bringing home another unearned run as Cothern crossed the plate to make it 3–0. 

The Panthers could not respond offensively to the big Berry inning, so the Vikings carried their offensive momentum into the fourth. El. Bennett sparked the offense with a triple to left field. Cothern walked, and Brooke Thompson replaced her with as a pinch runner. After another walk loaded the bases, Madison Miller reached on a fielder's choice, and El. Bennett scored on a muffed throw to make it 4–0.

The Vikings continued to capitalize on defensive miscues, as a passed ball brought home another unearned run to extend the lead to 5–0. Rachel Axelson, in her first collegiate at-bat, then delivered a clutch single up the middle, driving in two more unearned runs to push the advantage to 7–0. 

The Panthers posed a threat in the bottom of the fourth, but ultimately left three runners on base before allowing the Vikings to scorch one more run across the board in the top of the fifth inning via a wild pitch to secure the run-rule victory.

Game 2

The freshman phenom JJ Sweat commanded the circle in the second matchup of the day. In her third start of her collegiate career, Sweat sat down six Panthers in four innings of work, allowing a mere two hits. 

Rolling off the momentum from game one, the Vikings were quick on their offensive attack. Berry took advantage of early defensive errors to jump out in front. Fouts and El. Bennett both reached on throwing errors by the third baseman, setting the table for Cothern, who doubled to center to drive in two unearned runs. A passed ball moved Cothern to third before Moody added an RBI single to make it 3–0.

Er. Bennett later doubled and moved to third, and Rachel Runsick lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to bring home another unearned run and cap the inning at 4–0.

In the bottom of the first, Sweat dominated early and set the tone for the rest of her outing, striking out two and inducing a pop-up to quickly retire the side and put the Vikings back at the plate.

Scoring was idle until the Vikings plastered the deciding four runs of the game in the top of the third inning. El. Bennett was hit by a pitch to start the snowball. Cothern followed with a single to right, and Moody drove in a run with a base hit to left to make it 5–0.

Er. Bennett then broke it open with a triple to left-center, plating two more runs to extend the lead to 7–0. After Katelyn Boman capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to left, bringing Er. Bennett home and stretching the advantage to 8-0.

In the top of the fifth, Sweat passed the baton to Megan Rapillo to close out the game. In 11 pitches, Rapillo struck out a batter and washed out a simmer of a threat from the Panther offense to end the game early.

The Vikings will be back in action on Saturday, February 28 against Emory University at Cooper Field in Atlanta, Ga. Game times are at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.