Runnin' Bulldogs Earn a Split with Liberty on Friday
April 13, 2013 | Softball
Lynchburg, Va. - The Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs earned a split with the Liberty Lady Flames in the two teams Big South Conference doubleheader on Friday in Lynchburg, Va.
GWU's first game 4-2 win over Liberty snapped the Runnin' Bulldogs' losing streak to the Lady Flames at 11 straight and was the first win since defeating Liberty back twice back in 2009.
The 3-1 game two loss to Liberty ended the Runnin' Bulldogs' winning streak at three games.
With the Friday evening split, the Runnin' Bulldogs move to 7-26 overall on the season and 4-13 in Big South play, while Liberty goes to 18-21 and 7-8 in League action.
Game 1: Gardner-Webb 4, Liberty 2
The Runnin' Bulldog offense scored four runs over its final two at bats to post a 4-2 come from behind win over the Liberty Lady Flames in game one of the twin tilt on Friday evening.
After both teams combined for just two hits over the first two innings of play, the Liberty Lady Flames got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the third as second-baseman Megan Robinson led off the inning with a walk and then later scored on a two-out double down the left field line by designated player Sammi Shivock to give the home team a 1-0 lead through three complete.
Looking to get the run back and even the score up once more, GWU's Savannah Burns hit a two-out single to right field and then advanced to second on a throwing error, yet was stranded as the next Runnin' Bulldog batter flew out to right to end the top of the fourth with Liberty still in front at 1-0.
Gardner-Webb threatened again in the top of the fifth, as freshman Jill Blank, sophomore Taylar Pridgen and junior Samantha Meenaghan strung together three straight singles to load the bases with two outs. However, the Runnin' Bulldogs would fail to push across a run, as a ground ball out back to the pitcher ended the inning and left all three runners stranded.
Following a bottom of the fifth inning in which Gardner-Webb and starting pitcher Ashley Rhyne got out of a jam with back-to-back strikeouts to end the frame, the Runnin' Bulldogs tied the score up at 1-1 in the top of the sixth on a two-out RBI single to left by senior Jordyn Arrowood to plate Burns from second, who had reached base safely on a walk and then moved up to second base on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Mariana Gallardo.
Again Rhyne and the GWU defense came up big once more in the bottom half of the sixth, as Liberty put together back-to-back two-out singles in an attempt to regain the lead. Nonetheless, the threat was halted with ground out to end the inning and send the game into the seventh tied at 1-1.
The Runnin' Bulldogs took advantage of a number of Liberty miscues in the top of the seventh, as both Pridgen and Kellie Beres reached base safely on two Lady Flame fielding errors. After both moved up to second and third on a wild pitch, Pridgen would later score the go ahead run on a passed ball to put the visitors on top 2-1.
Two batters later, Burns lined a triple to right center field to drive in both Beres and redshirt-junior Morgan Baker and push the Runnin' Bulldogs' lead to three at 4-1.
Looking to seal the come from behind win, the Runnin' Bulldogs got the first Liberty batter to strike out swinging for the first out of the inning. However, the next three batters would all single, as the third hit scored the runner from second base to cut the GWU lead to two at 4-2.
With two outs and runners on both first and second, Rhyne got the third out herself by way of a ground ball right back to her in the circle, which she turned in threw to Baker at first base to seal the 4-2 win for the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Rhyne (4-10) recorded her second straight win, as the junior held Liberty two only two runs on 10 hits and two walks, while totaling five strikeouts in the complete game victory.
Liberty's Annah Jo Brittingham (8-7) suffered the loss, as the starter gave up four runs, one of which was earned, on seven hits and two walks over seven innings of work.
Offensively in game one, Burns was 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk, two RBIs and a run scored, while Arrowood was 1-for-3 with an RBI single. Baker (1-for-3, BB, run), Blank (1-for-3) and Pridgen (1-for-3, run) each had one hit for the game, while Meenaghan was 1-for-4 overall.
For Liberty at the plate, Shivock was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, while Kassidy McCoy (3-for-3, double), Katie Zavodny (2-for-3, double, BB, run) and Jill Stephens (2-for-4) each had multiple hits in the game.
Game 2: Liberty 3, Gardner-Webb 1
Gardner-Webb gave up a run in each of the first, third and fifth innings, yet failed to put together an offensive surge and ultimately fell to Liberty 3-1 in game two of the doubleheader.
Unlike in the first game, in which neither team could get any offense going in the first few innings, Liberty pushed across the first run of the game in the bottom of the first on an RBI single up the middle by catcher Kelby Allen to put the home team on top early at 1-0.
After putting a runner on base safely in both the first and the second, the Runnin' Bulldogs threatened again in the top of the third, as Blank and Meenaghan each singled, while Beres drew a four pitch walk to load the bases with one out. However, Liberty hurler Chandler Ball got out of the bases loaded jam with a shallow fly out to center and a strikeout to thwart the scoring chance and keep the home team's lead in tact at 1-0 through two and a half innings played.
Remembering back to game one in which Liberty loss an early 1-0 lead, the Lady Flames added an insurance run in the bottom of the third, as Zavodny reached base safely on a GWU error, promptly stole second, was moved up to third on a sacrifice bunt and then finally scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Shivock to double the home team's lead at 2-0 through three complete.
The Runnin' Bulldogs would get one run back in the top of the fourth, as Arrowood singled through the left side with one out. After being bumped up to second on a sacrifice bunt by designated player Rachel Jablonski, Arrowood would come around and score from second on a Liberty throwing error to get on the scoreboard and cut the Liberty lead back to one at 2-1.
Liberty added an insurance run on an RBI double to left center field by Hanna Nichols in the bottom of the fifth, which is all that the home team would need, as the Runnin' Bulldogs were only able to get one hit, a single by Blank in the seventh, over the final two innings of play to fall to the Lady Flames 3-1 in the night cap.
The loss went to Jessica Childers (2-10), as the junior allowed three runs, two of which were earned, on eight hits, one walk and two strikeouts over six innings of action.
Ball (7-9) earned the win for the Lady Flames, as the starter allowed only one run, which was unearned, on six hits, one walk and three strikeouts over the seven inning contest.
Blank, who was 2-for-3 with a stolen base, was the lone Runnin' Bulldog with multiple hits in game two, while Arrowood (1-for-3, run), Baker (1-for-3), Beres (1-for-3, BB) and Meenaghan (1-for-4) all had one hit apiece in the loss.
While for the Lady Flames, Nichols was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, while Allen was 2-for-3 with an RBI and Shivock was 1-for-2 with an RBI.
Gardner-Webb (7-26, 4-13 Big South) and Liberty (18-21, 7-8 Big South) are slated to play the third and final game of the three-game conference series tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. in Lynchburg, Va.
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| Game 1 Box Score: GWU 4, Liberty 2 |
| Game 2 Box Score: Liberty 3, GWU 1 |
