Albany, Ga. (3/23-24) – The Claflin University softball team dropped all three games of its Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) series last weekend, Friday and Saturday, March 23 and 24, in Albany, Ga.
 
The Lady Panthers fell in the single game on Friday (Mar. 23) 3-2 and dropped the doubleheader on Saturday (Mar. 24) 10-9 and 12-7.
 
The losses drops Claflin overall record to 13-21 and its SIAC record to 6-4.  Albany State improves to 14-14 overall and 10-0 in the SIAC.
 
Kayla Cato, who was effective all weekend, scored both of the Lady Panthers runs in the opening game on Friday.  Cato finished game one with two runs, on hit – a homerun, and one RBI.  She scored her second run off an RBI by Chelise Morman.
 
Tiaria Norman was the losing pitcher of game one.
 
Albany State jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead by the bottom of the first in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.
 
Claflin used two runs off one hit with three Lady Rams errors to tie the game at 2-1ll in the top of the third.
 
The Lady Panthers tact on two more runs to take a 4-2 lead.
 
Albany State had five runs off four hits to take a 7-4 lead but Claflin quickly answered.  The Lady Panthers put up five runs of their own in the top of the fifth to regain the lead to 9-7.
 
The Lady Rams scored one in the fifth and two in the sixth and held Claflin scoreless over the remaining innings to pick up the 10-9 victory.
 
Cato had two runs, two hits, including a homerun and two RBIs to lead.  Kaela Robinson had three hits and a RBI, while Saeviah Conyers had two runs with two hits and a RBI in contest.
 
Norman was credited with the loss.
 
In the final game of the series, Albany State took control early.
 
The Lady Rams held Claflin scoreless of the first four innings while scoring three runs in the first and two in the second for 5-0 advantage.
 
The Lady Panthers cut the lead to two, putting up three runs off three hits and one Albany State error in the top of the fifth.
 
The Lady Rans got the two runs back in their half of the inning.
 
Claflin scored four runs in the sixth but could not score any in the seventh.  The Lady Rams put up five additional runs in the sixth en route to the 12-7 victory and the three-game sweep.
 
Cato had two runs with three hits while Robinson finished the games with two runs and one hit.
 
Norman was solid at the plate with one run, one hit and two RBIs.
 
Yemaya Rich was the losing pitcher in the final game.
 
The Lady Panthers will look to regroup when they host USC-Aiken in a non-conference doubleheader, this Wednesday, Mar. 28.  First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Adden Street Field in Orangeburg.