Bladenboro native Abbey Walters slugged 2 home runs and picked up the pitching victory in the nightcap as her UNC-Pembroke Lady Braves swept Lander 5-2 and 8-6 Friday in a Peach Belt Conference double-header in Greenwood, SC.
In the double-header, Walters batted 5-7 drove in 4 runs, scored 5 runs and stole 3 bases. The junior righthander relieved Lady Brave starter Taylor Strickland in the nightcap and worked the final 6 innings to raise her record to 2-1. Walters allowed 4 hits, 2 unearned runs and a walk.
After walking in her first at-bat, Walters blasted a home run over the left field fence leading off the third inning to stretch the Lady Brave lead to 3-1 in the opening game.
Walters smacked a one-out single to centerfield in the fifth inning, stole second base and raced home on Taylor Gephart’s single. The West Bladen grad led off the seventh with a single to right, stole second base and dashed home on Toni Nelson’s sacrifice fly.
In the nightcap Walters beat out an infield hit, stole second base and scored on Nelson’s double in UNC-Pembroke’s 3-run first inning.
After Morgan Davis singled and Jamie Johnson was hit by a pitch in the Lady Brave second inning, Walters walloped a 3-run home run over the left field fence for a 6-0 UNC-P lead.
The first four Lady Bearcats reached base in the bottom of the inning and all four scored, before Walters toed the pitching rubber and allowed only unearned runs in the second and sixth innings as she lowered her earned run average to 3.00.
Walters leads the Lady Braves in batting (.470), hits (31), doubles (10), on-base percentage (.471) and slugging percentage (.712). She is tied for team-highs in home runs (2) and stolen bases (11) and second in runs (15) and runs batted in (17).
The double-header was the first Peach Belt action for the Lady Braves who are 2-0 in the PBC and 10-7-1 overall. UNC-Pembroke travels to No. 17 Catawba Monday for a double-header that begins at 3 p.m.
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