Augusta, Ga.—Senior Tiaria Norman recorded her 500th career strikeout as the Claflin University softball team dropped a non-conference doubleheader, 15-2 and 6-5, to Augusta University at Jaguar Field in Augusta.
With the losses, the Lady Panthers fall to 13-18 overall. Augusta improves to 10-18.
Claflin will return to Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) play this weekend, Friday-Saturday (Mar. 23-24) when they travel to Albany, Ga. to take on the Lady Rams of Albany State in a three-game series.
Norman (8-9), who now has 501 strikeouts in her career, went six innings allowing six runs, three earned, with six strikeouts, was credited with the game two loss.
Courtney Browne was the winning pitcher for game two.
Yemaya Rich was the loser of game one while Morgan Hunter picked up the win.
Kayla Cato finished the day with three runs, two hits, including a homerun, a walk and one RBI.
Jamelah Thomas also had homered on the day and Chelise Morman scored one run with one hit, a double, and a RBI.
Auburn Balcota had four runs, three hits and one RBI and Carolyn Edwards had three runs with three hits, five RBIs and one homerun in game one for Augusta. Lydia Hausman had two runs and one hit to lead the Jaguars in game two.
Augusta dominated game one. The Jaguars put up four runs in the first, one in the second, seven in the third and three in the fourth en route to its 15 runs.
Claflin scored one run in the top of the first as Cato scored of an RBI single by Norman. Saeviah Conyers hit a RBI groundout to score Deandra Ealey in the top of the fifth for the Lady Panthers only other run of the game.
Game two was more competitive with Claflin striking first.
Cato homered to open the scoring of game two for the 1-0 lead. The Lady Panthers maintained the 1-0 lead until the bottom of the fourth.
Hausman led off the inning with a single to second base advancing to second off an error by Claflin first baseman.
Hausman subsequently scored off a groundout to second base to tie the game at 1-1.
Claflin used four runs with four hits and two Augusta errors to take the 5-1 lead in the top of the fifth.
After being held scoreless in the bottom of the fifth, the Jaguar's put five runs off three hits and another two errors to take the 6-5 lead.
The Lady Panthers could not score in the top of the seventh.
