Cochran, GA – The Knights Softball team was on the field for the first time this season on Thursday, January 30^th as they hosted the Gyrenes of Ave Maria University. The Knights were looking to open their season on a positive note with the help of the home crowd.
 
Emily Proctor would get the start in the circle for Game One of the doubleheader. The Gyrenes found a way to load the bases with no outs in the first inning but Proctor would work her way out of trouble, giving up only one run on a sacrifice fly. The game moved along quickly until the fourth inning when the Knights started to find some momentum. Madisyn Riggins hit a double and Mel Bullock hit the RBI single to tie the game at 1-1. A single by Grace Avery and a wild pitch scored the second run of the inning and the Knights had a 2-1 lead after the fourth inning. Carmen Phillips led off the fifth inning with a single and came around to score on a Kaylee Oliver single and the Knights grabbed a 3-1 lead. The Knights scored two more runs in the sixth inning after Alexis Cosgrove led off the inning with a single and came around to score later in the inning on a throwing error. The Knights loaded the bases later in the inning for Gabbie Haas to get hit by a pitch. Proctor held her own in the circle, not allowing another hit after the first inning, and the Knights won the first game 5-1.
 
The Knights carried the momentum into the second game as they scored five runs in the bottom half of the first inning. Madison Cosgrove led off the inning with a solo home run, Madisyn Riggins hit a two-run double, Mel Bullock hit a sacrifice fly, and Alexis Cosgrove hit an RBI single. After reaching on an error, Madison Cosgrove came around to score on a wild pitch in the second inning to give the Knights a 6-0 lead. After leading off the third inning with a double, Grace Avery came around to score on an Alexis Cosgrove RBI single and an RBI groundout would finish off the scoring for the Knights as they would take an 8-0 after the third inning. The bats would cool off for the Knights as the Gyrenes would make the game interesting down the stretch with two runs in the two runs in the fifth inning and three runs in the seventh inning but the Knights would hold them off to win 8-5.
 
The Knights will be back in action on Saturday, February 8^th as they travel to Milledgeville, Georgia to take on a pair of NCAA D-II opponents in Mars Hill University and Georgia College. First pitch is scheduled for 1 PM EST.