Presbyterian 12, Winthrop 11
Presbyterian 3, Winthrop 1

The Presbyterian College softball team used a home run in game one to come back from a two-run deficit in the eighth inning and another home run in game two to come from back from one down, as the Blue Hose defeated the Winthrop Eagles in dramatic fashion, taking game one in eight innings, 12-11, and the second game, 3-1, this afternoon at the PC Softball Complex in Clinton, S.C.

PC improved to 12-20 overall and 4-5 in the Big South, while Winthrop dropped to 13-26, 2-9.

The Blue Hose stormed out of the gates with five runs in the first inning.  After Winthrop walked three straight, Morgan Durham hits a two-run single to bring in two, while Rachel Hopper hit a two-run triple to make it a 4-0 game.  Mary Ellen Morris grounded out to second but collected a RBI as well, to give PC the 5-0 lead.

In the second inning Morris, who went three-for-five with three RBI in the first game, singled in Durham, who had reached on her second straight hit, to make it 6-0.

Winthrop began chipping away at the lead in the third inning.  The first four of five batters reached base with Megan Chapman and McKenzi Corn recording RBI singles.  Chapman scored the third run off a single by Chelsey Schoenfeldt as Winthrop cut the lead to three, 6-3.

Kristy Noble made it 6-4 with a home run to center field in the fourth.

Winthrop scored three runs in the fourth, highlighted by a two-run double by Noble, to take the 7-6 lead.  The Eagles increased it to 9-6 with two in the sixth.

PC came back in the bottom of the sixth with three runs, capped off by a two-RBI double by Hopper and a RBI double by Morris.  Cat Tarvin led off the inning with a single and after a ground out by Petik, the next two batters walked to set up the two doubles.

Neither team scored in the seventh to send the game to extra innings.

Winthrop led off the eighth with back-to-back singles, which were followed by two straight walks, the second bringing in the go-ahead run.  Alex White grounded out to second to make it 11-9.

Morris opened the bottom of the eighth with a single to short, which set up Leslie Hensley, who hit her team-leading fourth home run of the year to tie the game at 11-11.

The next at-bat, Tera Powell reached first on a Winthrop error and advanced to second on the same play.  She was then sacrificed over to third and scored off the game-winning single by Tarvin as the Blue Hose took the 12-11 extra inning win.

Kensley Loudermelk, who had come in relief, pitched two innings and surrendered two runs off two hits to pick up the one of two wins for her on the day.

Winthrop opened the scoring in the second game with a run in the third. Kristy Noble, one of three to collect a hit in the inning, singled up the middle to reach base.  She came home two batters later off a single to right field by Corn, which made it a 1-0 game in favor of the Eagles.

PC struck in the bottom of the fourth when Morris, who went one for two in the game, knocked her second home run of the season, this one a two-run shot over the left field wall that drove in Erin Taylor, who led off the inning with a single.

The Blue Hose scored the next inning Shelby Petik singled in Tarvin, who was on base off a walk.

Loudermelk held Winthrop to just three base-runners the next three innings to give PC the doubleheader sweep.  She took the win in the second game as well, going 7.0 innings, scattering eight hits and one run with five strikeouts, to go to 6-4 on the year.

Morris led the PC offense today, going four-for-seven with five RBI off a home run and a double.  Hopper recorded four RBI off two hits on the day.

PC and Winthrop take to the mound in the third game of the series Sunday at 1:00pm.  The game will be streamed live over the internet, weather permitting, at www.BigSouthSports.com as part of the Big South Network sponsored by State Farm.  Fans can sign up and watch for a nominal fee.

Gardner-Webb 8, Campbell 0

Gardner-Webb jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on a first inning two-run home run by freshman Savannah Burns and did not look back, defeating the Fighting Camels 8-0 in five innings in game one of the twin bill.

The Runnin' Bulldogs took an early lead in the top of the first, as Jordyn Arrowood singled to left field with one out.  The next GWU batter was Burns, who hit a line drive which stayed just inside the left field foul pole and barely cleared the fence to put the home team up 2-0 early. The home run was Burns' third of the season.

GWU broke the game open in the bottom of the second, as back-to-back singles by designated player Elizabeth Williams and outfielder Jane Savage put runners on first and second with no outs.  After a sacrifice bunt by outfielder Melinda Dulkowski moved both runners into scoring position, lead-off hitter Samantha Meenaghan hit a line drive to center field which rolled all the way to the fence, giving her a two-run triple and putting the home team in front at 4-0.

The home team would add another run in the inning by way of a Campbell wild pitch, pushing their lead to five at 5-0 after two innings of play.

Neither team would score over the next two innings, as GWU's Jessica Childers kept the Campbell offense quiet, holding them to only three hits over the first four innings of play.

After Campbell failed to score in the top of the fifth, the Runnin' Bulldogs put the game away in the bottom half, as Williams again led off with a single.  After a sacrifice bunt by Savage moved pitch runner Emily Bowman to second, Dulkowski would reach on a fielding error putting runners on first and third with one out.

Back-to-back walks to Meenaghan and pitch hitter Amanda Gomes forced in a run to put GWU on top 6-0 with the bases loaded.

Burns put the game away with a single up the middle to plate both Dulkowski and Meenaghan, as Gardner-Webb defeated the Camels 8-0 in five innings of play.

Childers (4-7) was dominant from start to finish, as she allowed only four hits and one walk, while striking out seven in the five inning win.

Campbell's Brittany Arnn (8-8) was handed the loss, as she gave up five runs on five hits and one walk over 1.1 innings of work.

Burns led the way for GWU offensively, as the freshman was 3-3 with a home run, four RBI and a run scored, while Meenaghan was 1-2 with a triple, two base-on-balls and two RBI.  Williams was 2-3 with two singles, while Arrowood was 1-3 with a run scored.

At the plate for Campbell, Kerstine Womack was 2-2, while both Taylor McGee and Ericka Nesbitt were 1-2 for the game.

Gardner-Webb 3, Campbell 2

Gardner-Webb overcame a two-run deficit to escape with a 3-2 win over the Camels in game two.

Both teams loaded the bases in the first, yet failed to score, as Gardner-Webb used a strikeout and a line out to third with the bases loaded to get out of the jam, while in the bottom half of the inning, Campbell got back-to-back GWU hitters to pop out in the infield with the bases loaded to keep the score at 0-0 heading into the second inning of play.

After both teams went down in order 1-2-3 in the second, Campbell picked up the offense in the top of the third, as Nesbitt reached base on a GWU throwing error to lead off the inning. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Campbell's Sarah Forgacs drew a walk and then stole second putting runners on second and third with no outs.

The Fighting Camels' Stephanie Jones then hit a deep sacrifice fly to center to plate Nesbitt and put the visitors up 1-0. With two outs, designated player Raven Lee then singled to left center to drive in Forgacs from second to put the Fighting Camels up two at 2-0.

The Runnin' Bulldogs' offense, which had just one hit over the next two innings, finally got hot in the bottom of the fifth, as Meenaghan and Arrowood ripped back-to-back singles up the middle and then advanced a base on a Campbell fielding error to put runners on second and third with two outs.

Again it would be Burns coming up big for the Runnin' Bulldogs, as the shortstop singled to short to drive in Meenaghan and cut the Campbell lead to one at 2-1.  Senior McKenzie Morenus would then single over the head of the third-baseman and down the left field line to score Arrowood and tie the score up at 2-2 through five innings.

GWU threatened to take the lead in the bottom of the sixth, as Gomes and Lindsea Hutchinson led off the inning with back-to-back infield hits. However, a ground ball and a double play on a pop up to short ended the Runnin' Bulldogs' scoring chance and left the game tied up at 2-2 heading into the final inning of play.

Campbell's Nesbitt hit a sharp ground ball through the right side with two outs in the top of the seventh and then abruptly stole second to put the go ahead run in scoring position.  However, the next Camel batter would fly out to right field in foul territory to end the top half of the inning.

Looking for their second win of the day, Gardner-Webb's Meenaghan led off the bottom of the seventh with a single to center field.  After Meenaghan stole second, the Runnin' Bulldogs loaded the bases with a walk by Arrowood and a fielder's choice by Burns.

With the bases loaded and no outs, Morenus popped up to short for the first out of the inning.  Redshirt-sophomore Morgan Baker then hit a ground ball to second, where the Campbell second-baseman made a great play and tagged Burns running to second for the second out of the inning.  However, rather than throwing the ball to first-base to complete the double play and end the inning, she threw the ball home trying to get the lead runner.  Meenaghan beat the throw to the plate and gave the Runnin' Bulldogs the 3-2 win.

The game-winning RBI was Baker's second of the season, both coming in the last two weeks.

GWU's Cindy Boomhower (6-5) earned the win in a relief effort, as the redshirt-senior held the Fighting Camels scoreless on only two hits and one walk, while striking out five in the final 4.2 innings of play.

Campbell's Olivia Scarborough (3-2) suffered the loss, as the righty gave up three runs on 10 hits and two walks, while striking out two in 6.2 innings of work.

At the plate, GWU's Burns was 2-4 with an RBI, while Meenaghan was 3-4 with two runs scored.  Morenus was 1-3 with an RBI, while Arrowood was 2-3 with a run scored.

Offensively for the Fighting Camels, Lee was 2-3 with an RBI, while Jones was 1-2 with a sacrifice fly.

Gardner-Webb (17-20, 4-5 Big South) and Campbell (19-20, 4-4 Big South) will play the third and final game of the three-game Conference series tomorrow afternoon at 1:00pm at Varsity Field in Boiling Springs, N.C.

Charleston Southern 2, Liberty 1
Charleston Southern 8, Liberty 5

Morgan Dowdy made two first inning runs stand up with her 17th complete game of the season as Charleston Southern edged Liberty, 2-1, in the front end of a doubleheader at Liberty Softball Field on Friday afternoon.

Dowdy (13-9) was once again effective in pitching to contact, yielding only the one run on six hits and two walks while striking out three.

Charleston Southern (21-17, 6-3) swung the bats early, staking claim to a 2-0 lead with a couple of first inning tallies against Liberty (10-22, 4-6) starting pitcher Chandler Ball (4-6). Kristin Kelleher worked a leadoff walk and scooted up to second base on a passed ball, and then completed her journey around the bases when Megan Lombard clocked an RBI double to the left-center field gap. Stephanie Sbardella delivered a clutch two-out base knock two batters later, singling through the middle to give the Bucs a 2-0 advantage.

Liberty responded in the bottom of the first, cutting its deficit in half off of CSU starter Morgan Dowdy. Katie Zavodny nearly single-handedly accounted for the run, as the Flames’ leadoff hitter legged out a bunt single, stole second base, and made it on to third and then home courtesy of a wild pitch and passed ball.

Dowdy was on cruise control for much of the afternoon until Liberty loaded the bases with nobody out in the seventh. The junior from Pleasanton, California, proved her mettle, though, first by getting a fielder’s choice groundout which ended with Sbardella firing home to retire Bridgett Woods. Dowdy then finished off the Flames by inducing a pop up and a grounder to preserve the victory.

In game two, the Liberty softball team out-hit Charleston Southern during Friday's nightcap, but a pair of home runs and a double keyed the Buccaneers' 8-5 win over the Lady Flames at Liberty Softball Field.

The Lady Flames scored the game's first three runs, but CSU rallied to take an 8-3 lead into the bottom of the seventh. Liberty tallied two runs in the seventh to draw closer, before the visiting Buccaneers closed out the win.

Liberty is now 10-23, 4-7 in Big South play, following Friday's action. Charleston Southern (22-17, 7-3 Big South) earned a sweep of the doubleheader.

Katie Zavodny batted 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and career-high two RBIs. Kelby Allen and Jill Stephens both went 2-for-3, with Allen doubling and tying her career high with three RBIs. Meredith Crisante stole two bases, moving her to sixth at Liberty with 35 career steals.

Chandler Ball (4-7) went the distance, striking out five batters while yielding eight runs on eight hits.

Jennifer Giles (6-7) picked up the victory, allowing three runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. Morgan Dowdy came on for the save with 2 1/3 innings of two-hit, two-run relief.

Jana Matthews went 1-for-3 with four RBIs, while Megan Lombard hit 2-for-2 with a homer and two RBIs. Stephanie Sbardella also homered and collected two hits.

Liberty took a 1-0 lead on a two-out single in the top of the first. Zavodny led off the game with a bunt single for the Lady Flames. She went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Law. Allen drove Zavodny in by singling to center, giving the Lady Flames a 1-0 advantage. 

Ball issued one walk, to Linzy Rother during the top of the second inning, and Rother remained on first when the half-inning concluded.

Jill Stephens lined a single with one out in the bottom of the second. Strickland hit a single, and both runners moved up an additional base on a throwing error. Zavodny slammed a double off the wall, plating Stephens and Strickland for a 3-0 lead.

A walk and a single gave the Buccaneers two base runners in the third inning. After a sacrifice bunt, Melissa Adams scored on a wild pitch. Matthews drove in Kelleher with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-2. Ball then struck out Sbardella to end CSU's third time at bat.

Both Ball and Giles then pitched scoreless innings, leaving the score at 3-2 after four stanzas.

Charleston Southern took a 4-3 lead on a two-run homer by Lombard in the top of the fifth. Lombard drove in Kelleher with a blast to left field, pushing the Bucs ahead for the first time. With two runners on base, Ball fanned Courtney Konyk to quell the rally.

Crisante singled with two outs in Liberty's half of the fifth inning. Dowdy then came on in relief of Giles, and got Allen to groundout for the third out.

Adams and Kelleher collected consecutive, one-out singles during the sixth frame. Lombard walked, filling the bases for Matthews. Matthews doubled to right field, plating three runs the extend CSU's lead to four, 7-3, before being thrown out trying to stretch the hit to a triple.

Shivock drew a walk in the bottom of the sixth, but Liberty was unable to drive her in, leaving the Lady Flames with a four-run deficit going into the seventh inning.

Sbardella hit a solo homer to open the final stanza, adding an insurance run.

Trailing 8-3, Zavodny singled on the infield with one out. Law then received a walk. Allen plated both runs by doubling to the wall in left, slicing the deficit to three, at 8-5. An ensuing popout brought the game to a close.

The final game of the series will take place on Saturday, with first pitch slated for 1:00pm.

Radford and Coastal Carolina split a Big South doubleheader on Friday from RU Softball Field. The Highlanders (20-10, 6-2 Big South) held on for a 9-8 win in game two, after dropping game one to the Chanticleers (30-12, 7-3) 6-2.

Coastal Carolina 6, Radford 2
Radford 9, Coastal Carolina 8

Behind a grand slam and five RBI from senior Hannah Ojeda, the Highlanders held off a flurry of home runs by Coastal Carolina to bounce back with a wild 9-8 game-two win.
 
After surging to a 9-0 lead, Radford was one strike from ending the game, but the Chanticleers, behind five home runs, posted four-run fifth and seventh innings to get within one. JuniorJackie Jenkins came in and needed just one pitch to end the rally and earn her third save of the season.
 
Ojeda finished 2-for-3 with a double, home run and two runs scored. Senior Nichole Beall  also homered for the Highlanders and finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run. Senior Michelle Beall added two hits, a double and run.
 
A four-run second opened the scoring for the Highlanders in game two, highlighted by a two-run home run by Beall. Sophomore Jessie Hutchens and Ojeda added a RBI single and double, respectively.
 
Ojeda’s grand slam to right center powered a five-run third as Radford surged ahead 9-0. Freshman Jackie Warr knocked in the first run of the frame with a RBI single to left. Warr scored twice in game two.

Down to their last strike, the Chanticleers extended the game in the fifth courtesy of three two-out home runs. The first off the bat of Kory Hayden, a two-run shot on a 2-2 pitch. On the next pitch, Kiana Quolas rung one off the scoreboard. After a pitching change, Cacia Pierre hit her third of the day to make it 9-4.

Things got a lot more interesting in the seventh, but Jenkins was able to end the game on one pitch after Quolas and Chelsea Pineda hit a pair of two-run long balls.

Micalah Sacre picked up the win for Radford. The rookie struck out a career high nine in 4.2 innings of work, but walked five. She was cruising with a one-hitter until a two-out walk in the fifth followed by the two home runs ended her shutout bid.

Qualos, Pineda and Pierre each registered two hits for Coastal. Qualos knocked in three with two home runs and scored two. Pierre and Brooke Donovan also tallied a pair of runs.
 
Ashley Bagwell (8-6) went the distance for the Chanticleers. She surrendered 10 hits, struck out six and walked two.
 
Pierre hit two of Coastal Carolina’s four home runs and Quolas struck out eight as the Chanticleers took game one, 6-2. The win snapped the Highlanders’ 17-game home winning streak.
 
Radford cut the lead to 3-2 on a Hutchens’ two-run blast in the fourth, but that would be as close as it would get. Hutchens was 2-for-3 with a double, home run and two RBI.
 
Quolas scattered six hits and did not walk a batter in the complete-game win for the Chanticleers as she improved to 18-5. Pierre and Brooke Donovan each went 2-for-3 at the plate for Coastal.

Jenkins suffered the defeat after pitching to just two batters in the first inning. She surrendered two runs on one hit and a walk.  Stephanie Dameron finished the game as she allowed four runs and six hits with two strikeouts.
 
Coastal jumped on Radford for three runs in the first inning behind a two-run home run from Donovan and a solo blast off the bat of Pierre.
 
Hutchens got two back for the Highlanders in the fourth with a two-out long ball over the scoreboard in leftcenter.

Stacy Snellings pushed Coastal’s lead to 4-2 with a solo home run to center in the fifth. After the Highlanders stranded two more runners in scoring position, Pierre extended the Chanticleers’ lead to 6-2 with her second long ball of the game.
 
Radford stranded six runners for the game, all in scoring position.

The teams will wrap up the series tomorrow, April 7 at 1:00pm