BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Picking up a 9-1 win today in five innings, the Birmingham-Southern softball team completed the three-game conference sweep against Centre at BSC Softball Park.

The Panthers moved to 10-2 overall and 6-0 in the Southern Athletic Association; the Colonels fell to 4-6 overall and 2-4 in the SAA.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• BSC put up three in the bottom of the first after junior Maddie Ridgway reached on an error and junior Amanda Ballew reached on a fielder's choice, with Ridgway beating the throw to put runners on first and second.
• Freshman Haley Crumpton then doubled to right field, scoring Ridgway.
• After one out, freshman Savannah Lee singled down the left field line to plate Ballew and Crumpton.
• The Panthers increased their lead to 7-0 in the second inning; with bases loaded and two outs, Lee singled to left to bring in Ridgway and freshman Kendall Hamm, and Beck doubled up the middle to plate Lee and Ballew.
• The Colonels scored their lone run of the day in the top of the fourth, loading the bases with no outs before an infield pop-up and a foul-out to the catcher put two outs on the board.
• An RBI single by Madison DeBord plated Jessika Young before freshman pitcher Peighton Ponder struck out the next batter for the third out.
• A sac-fly from sophomore Micaela Beck with the bases loaded scored another for BSC in the bottom of the fourth, putting the Panthers up 8-1.
• Centre went three-up, three-down in the top of the fifth, and BSC sophomore Kaley Eastwood led off the bottom of the fifth with a double, followed by a Hamm single.
• After the Colonels turned a double play for the first two outs, freshman Catherine Coffey walked and then freshman Abbey Spencer singled through the left side to plate Hamm for the win.

NOTABLE

• BSC recorded 11 hits, led by Lee and Beck who were both 2-2 and Hamm who was 2-3.
• Lee led with four RBI, while Beck had three.
• Junior Taylor Harkins (6-0) picked up the win in the circle, throwing three innings and giving up one hit and no runs with two strikeouts; Ponder threw the last two innings and allowed two hits and one run with two strikeouts.

UP NEXT

• BSC travels to Columbus, Ga., next weekend for the NFCA Leadoff Classic; the Panthers will face No. 14 Virginia Wesleyan on Friday, March 11, at 5 p.m. EST, and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Friday at 7:30 p.m. EST.
• BSC then takes on No. 16 Kean on Saturday, March 12, at 12:30 p.m. EST.