By Taylor Chitwood, Sports Info. Student Assistant

FERRUM, Virginia -- Ferrum College opened its softball season with a pair of victories over Greensboro College at home on American National Bank Field Monday afternoon, 5-2 in game one and 6-4 in game two.

RECORDS
Ferrum (2-0)
Greensboro (0-2)

THE BASICS
Game one saw the Panthers jump out to the early lead when Bayley Cunningham singled up the middle in the opening frame, scoring Keri Hamlett. Kassie Widner would be the next Panther to cross the plate, this time via a wild pitch to cap off the big Ferrum first. The Panthers would strike again in the second when Hamlett would bring Arielle Eure across with a single up the middle. Tori Scott would then single to right field to bring home Hamlett, and the Panthers would cling to a 4-0 advantage through two.

Greensboro would jump back into it with some Panther misfortune in the fourth. Kassie Simmions would single to left field but come all the way around to score, along with Alex Prillaman, to make the game 4-2. Ashton Lambeth, the Panther starter in the circle, would answer back helping her own cause with a solo blast over the left field fence, pushing the advantage to 5-2. That was all Lambeth would need to shut the door on the Pride for game one, as she picked up the complete game win.

Game two would have Greensboro steal a run in the first. Kailey Walker would execute the squeeze play to perfection, and Caroline Stanley would slide in to score and take the early lead. The Panthers would answer right back in the home half of the first when Eure left the yard for her first of two homeruns in game two. Lyndsey Sears would follow the pattern of pitchers helping themselves when she singled up the middle, bringing home Allison McGehee. The Pride would tie the game up at two in the second when Courtney Fink would bring home Alexis Sox with a groundout to short.

Sears would give the Panthers the advantage again with a two-RBI single up the middle in the third, scoring McGehee and Antionette Payne. Greensboro would again make it a ballgame in the sixth with a pinch-hit, two-run homerun from Hannah King, tying the game at four apiece. Eure would call game in the bottom of the sixth, leaving the yard again and scoring Erin Nelson. The two-run lead was all Sears needed to shut the door in the visitor half of the seventh as she would pick up the complete game win for the Panthers.

KEY STATS - Game One
Ferrum: Lambeth 1-3, HR, (W, 1-0) 7 inn, 5 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 1-3, HR; Hamlett 2-4, 2 R, RBI
Greensboro: Simmons 1-4, R, RBI; Cox (L, 0-1) 6 inn, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 9 K

KEY STATS - Game Two
Ferrum: Eure 2-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI; Sears 2-3, 3 RBI, (W, 1-0) 7 inn, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Greensboro: King 1-1, HR, 2 RBI; Simmons (L, 0-1) 6 inn, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 5 K

BEHIND THE WHISTLE
"I'm pleased with the way we played for the first games of the season. Ashton and Lyndsey both threw well. We had some big hits, especially Arielle with two home runs in the second game, and made the plays defensively when we had to." --Head Coach Gerald Culler

UP NEXT
Culler's team will be back on the diamond Saturday, February 22, at Methodist University. The non-conference doubleheader is set for a 1:00 p.m. start in Fayetteville, North Carolina.