Mars Hill’s Haithcox, Wingate’s Blankenship Named Softball Players Of The Week

ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Mars Hill catcher/outfielder Natalie Haithcox and Wingate right-hander Brittany Blankenship have earned South Atlantic Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week honors, league officials announced today.

Haithcox led Mars Hill to a 5-1 record last week, after batting .550. The Asheboro, North Carolina native belted a pair of game-winning homeruns, one in a 6-5 win over Catawba and the other in a 3-1 road win at Newberry. She finished the week with 14 RBI, nine runs scored, three homeruns and four doubles.

Wingate freshman Brittany Blankenship (Midlothian, Va.) went 3-1 on the week, as the Bulldogs split a league twin bill with Lenoir-Rhyne and swept a doubleheader from ninth-ranked Georgia College & State.

Natalie Haithcox

Brittany Blankenship

Blankenship tossed two shutouts to lead the Bulldogs to a doubleheader sweep over GCSU Saturday at the Wingate University Softball Complex. The host Bulldogs won the first game 1-0 and the second game 3-0. In game one, Blankenship threw a one-hitter, striking out three and walking one.

For the week, Blankenship was 3-1 with a 1.05 ERA. She allowed 12 hits (in 26 2/3 innings), striking out 16 and walking six.

The SAC Player of the Week is determined by a vote of the sports information directors in the league.