GULF SHORES, Ala. ------ The Auburn Montgomery softball team bounced back Saturday afternoon with an 11-2 win in six innings over No. 13 Valdosta State and an 8-4 victory over Mississippi College. The Warhawks tallied a massive 24 hits in the two games to provide the program with its first two NCAA Division II victories
NOTES                      
• The Warhawks improved to 2-2 on the year.
• The Blazers fell to 1-1 on the season.
• The Choctaws dropped to 1-1.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Junior Christy Hendrix led the way for the hot-hitting Warhawks with a perfect 4-for-4 performance against Valdosta State with a double, two runs scored and two RBIs. Against Mississippi College she finished 2-for-3 with another run scored.
• Senior Sydney Dishman blasted a homerun in each game and also finished the first game 1-for-3, and added a 2-for-2 performance in the second game. She tallied a total of three runs scored and a team-high 6 RBIs on the day.
• Freshman Parker Pinholster went yard for the first time in her career in game two, and finished the night 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI.
• Joining the hit parade was sophomore Kaylin Finch who totaled a 5-for-7 day with three runs scored and an RBI.
• Freshman Abby Krueger finished the first game 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Senior Sarah Angulo and junior Kalee Sparks also added two RBIs each in the first game of the day as well.
• Senior Rachel Ragland and freshman Taylor Tiffany each picked up their first win of the year. Tiffany gave up one run in five innings of work with three strikeouts, and Ragland allowed two runs in her six innings of work in game one.
• Jessica Mohl led the way for Valdosta State with a 2-for-4 performance and the team's only RBI. Katherine Lee led the way for Mississippi College with a 3-for-4 showing and an RBI as she acquired half of the Choctaws' total hits.

GAME 1 HOW IT HAPPENED
• After a scoreless first, AUM exploded offensively for seven runs on just as many hits. Angulo doubled to right center which scored Finch and Hendrix to get the scoring rolling.
• Sparks followed with a two RBI single to plate Dishman and Tucker. A Krueger double scored Persinger and Hendrix doubled down the right field line to score both Krueger and Walker.
• Neither team was able to tally a run in the third, but AUM tacked on an additional run in the fourth on a Finch single, which plated Walker to put the Warhawks ahead 8-0 heading to the home half of the inning.
• Valdosta State picked up their only two runs of the game on two hits in the bottom of the fourth. Hartenbach scored on a wild pitch, and a Mohl single plated Garrett to bring the score to 8-2 after four.  
• AUM added an additional run in the top of the fifth inning on a Walker single that plated Pinholster to make the score 9-2.
• A scoreless home half allowed Dishman to pick up her first homerun of the year in the top of the sixth that plated Hendrix to put the Warhawks three outs away from their first NCAA Division II win.
• Ragland recorded the final three outs in the home half as AUM earned its first NCAA DII win over No. 13 Valdosta State 11-2 after six innings.

GAME 2 HOW IT HAPPENED
• AUM took the early lead in the home half of the first frame on a blast to center field from Pinholster.
• Mississippi College tied the game on a single to left from Lee that knocked in McKissock in the top of the fourth after two scoreless innings from both teams.
• AUM exploded for five runs in the bottom of the fourth to jump out to a 6-1 lead. Dishman picked up her second homer of the day, which also plated Finch and Hendrix. Pinholster plated Ragland on a single to left, and a Persinger single down the right field line scored Schmidt.
• AUM continued to produce offensively adding two runs in the bottom of the fifth. A miscue on a stolen base by Finch allowed Krueger to score, and a Dishman single up the middle plated Finch to give the Warhawks an 8-1 lead heading to the sixth.
• Mississippi College plated its final three runs of the game in the top of the sixth. A Thompson single up the middle scored Mulligan, and a miscue on the infield allowed both Thompson and Lee to score.
• AUM lead 8-4 heading into the top of the seventh, and were three outs away from the programs first NCAA DII sweep. Ragland in relief threw the final two frames, and recorded a strikeout and two groundouts in the seventh to seal the Warhawks 8-4 victory over the Choctaws.

UP NEXT
• The Warhawks will return to action on Saturday, February 11, where they will host Spring Hill College at 11 a.m., and play Christian Brothers at 4 p.m. in the AUM Tournament.

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