03/28/2024
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Abbey WaltersPEMBROKE -Bladenboro native Abbey Walters slugged a 3-run triple and pitched UNC-Pembroke to a 7-5 Peach Belt Conference victory over Montevallo Sunday on Senior Day in the Lady Braves regular-season finale.

UNC-Pembroke also won the first game of Sunday’s double-header 9-1, and the sweep lifted the Lady Braves into a fourth-place tie with Georgia College in the final Peach Belt Conference standings.  Both teams have 14-10 records.

Walters singled, stole a base and walked twice in the first game victory.

The Lady Falcons turned 2 errors, an infield hit and 2 passed balls into a first inning run in the nightcap, but Walters pitched out of the second-and-third, one-out situation via a groundout and a strike-out.

Walters worked a 1-2-3 second and retired the first 2 batters in the third before giving up a single and a walk. An error prolonged the inning and allowed Montevallo to tack on 4 unearned runs and take a 5-0 lead.

The Lady Braves answered with 2 runs in the bottom of the third. Jamie Johnson belted a lead-off triple and scored a run. Walters beat out an infield hit, stole second base and raced home on Toni Nelson’s double to trim the margin to 5-2.

Carleigh Brooks led off the home fourth with a double, Lexie Coxe walked, and Morgan Davis beat out an infield hit to load the bases. Two outs later Walters blasted a triple over the rightfielder’s head to clear the bases and tie the score. Taylor Gephart ripped a single through the middle to score Walters and put UNC-P ahead 6-5.

UNC-Pembroke tacked on an insurance run in the fifth as Brooks singled, Coxe doubled to right field and Davis drove in Brooks with a single over the drawn-in infield.

Walters raised her record to 8-5 with the victory and allowed 5 runs – no earned runs – on 9 hits and 3 walks while striking out three. Her earned run average dropped to a team-best 2.76.

The West Bladen grad finished 3-6 at the plate in the double-header to raise her batting average to .401 that is fourth-best in the Peach Belt. The three runs-batted-in give Walters 40 for the season which ranks 7th in the PBC. Walters is also fifth in the league in stolen bases with 26 and tenth in home runs with 7.

The Lady Braves, now 28-23-1, have won 10 of their last 12 games and will play host Georgia College Friday at 4 p.m. in the opening round of the PBC Tournament in Milledgeville, GA. It will be the first post-season appearance for UNC-Pembroke since 2011.

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