GWU Softball Wraps Up Non-Conference Slate with a Doubleheader Sweep of North Carolina A&T on Tuesday
April 17, 2013 | Softball
Greensboro, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb softball team wrapped up its 2013 non-conference slate on a high note on Tuesday afternoon, as the Runnin' Bulldogs held North Carolina A&T to only two runs in a doubleheader sweep of the Lady Aggies at the Aggie Softball Complex in Greensboro, N.C.
Gardner-Webb took game one 4-1 and then defeated North Carolina A&T 11-1 in only five innings in game two of the twin bill.
With the sweep, the Runnin' Bulldogs, who now have won five of its last seven games, improves to 9-27 overall, while the Lady Aggies fall to 6-26 overall with the losses.
The sweep pushed the Runnin' Bulldogs winning streak over North Carolina A&T to eight straight games.
Game 1: Gardner-Webb 4, North Carolina A&T 1
Gardner-Webb took an early lead on a home run by shortstop Savannah Burns and a sacrifice fly from Morgan Baker and added two insurance runs in the top of the fifth to hold on for a 4-1 game one win over the Lady Aggies.
The Runnin' Bulldogs took an early 1-0 lead by way of one swing of the bat by Burns to lead off the top of the second, as the sophomore belted a solo home run to left field to put the visitors in front early. The home run was Burns' second of the season.
Gardner-Webb doubled its lead in the next inning, as catcher Taylar Pridgen reached base safely on a fielding error by the Lady Aggies to lead off the top of the third, then moved up to third base on a stolen base and a Kellie Beres bunt single. Baker followed Beres with a sacrifice fly to center field which plated Pridgen from third and put the Runnin' Bulldogs in front at 2-0.
It would be the trio of Beres, Baker and Burns that would strike again in the top of the fifth, as Beres recorded a two-out single to left field to keep the inning alive for the Runnin' Bulldogs. After Beres swiped second and Baker drew a base-on-balls to put runners on first and second with two outs, Burns lined a double to left center field to drive in both Beres and Baker and put Gardner-Webb on top at 4-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth.
In the bottom half of the fifth, North Carolina A&T picked up only its second hit of the game on a single to left by Sabrina Edmonds to start the inning. After a walk and a sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third with one out, GWU starter Ashley Rhyne go the next to pinch hitters to ground out and foul out to end the Lady Aggies scoring chance and keep the score at 4-0 through five complete.
A GWU fielding error and a sacrifice bunt by North Carolina A&T in the bottom of the sixth put a runner on second with one out in the inning. Following a pop out to short, Jax Kaye Woodard singled to left field to plate score Zebresha Blakeney from second and put the score at 4-1 in favor of the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Rhyne got out of the inning with a foul out to left field then cruised through the seventh with no harm done to help lead the Runnin' Bulldogs to the 4-1 game one win over N.C. A&T.
GWU's Rhyne (5-11) earned the complete game win, as the junior held the Lady Aggies to one unearned run on five hits, one walk and four strikeouts over the seven innings of play.
The loss went to the Lady Aggies' Shelby Snyder (4-3), as the junior hurler allowed four runs, three of which were earned, on six hits, three walks and five strikeouts in seven innings of work.
Burns led the charge at the plate for GWU, as the sophomore was 2-for-2 with a home run, a double, a walk, three RBIs and one run scored, while Baker was 0-for-2 with a sac fly, walk, RBI and a run scored. Beres was 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, while Pridgen was 1-for-3 with two steals on the game.
Samantha Meenaghan saw her season-high 11-game hitting streak snapped, as the GWU lead-off hitter was 0-for-4 in the game.
For North Carolina A&T offensively, Edmonds was 3-for-3, while Woodard was 1-for-3 with an RBI.
Game 2: Gardner-Webb 11, North Carolina A&T 1 (5-innings)
The Runnin' Bulldogs pounced on the Lady Aggies in game two, posting five runs in the first and six runs in the third to blow out the Lady Aggies 11-1 in game two of the twin bill in Greensboro, N.C.
North Carolina A&T got the first two GWU batters out to start the first then saw a fielding error keep the inning alive for the visiting team. The Runnin' Bulldogs took full advantage of the miscue, as Burns and designated player Elizabeth Williams then drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Redshirt-senior Melinda Dulkowski made the Lady Aggies pay, as she singled to left field to score two and put the visitors in front early at 2-0.
However, the inning did not end there, as senior third-baseman Jordyn Arrowood then hit a ball to the shortstop who booted the ball on the play. A throwing error by the Lady Aggies' catcher on the same play allowed both Williams and Dulkowski to score to push the Runnin' Bulldogs' lead to 4-0.
Sophomore outfielder Mariana Gallardo added another run on an RBI double to left center field to score Arrowood and put the visitors in front 5-0 after only one-half inning of play.
After North Carolina A&T stranded a runner on base in the first by way of a walk and in the second by way of a Raven Smith single, the Runnin' Bulldog bats again got hot in the top of the third.
Already up 5-0 in the contest heading into the top of the third, GWU's Arrowood led off with a single to center which was followed by back-to-back bunt singles from Gallardo and Pridgen to load the bases with no outs.
Two batters later, after a GWU strikeout, Beres hit an RBI single to right to push the Runnin' Bulldogs in front at 6-0 and kept the bases loaded for the middle of the order. Baker then hit an RBI single to left field, while Burns abruptly followed with a two-run RBI single to center field to put Gardner-Webb on top big at 9-0.
Another Lady Aggies fielding error on a ground ball by Dulkowski later in the inning allowed two more runs to run across the plate and put the visitors in front at 11-0.
North Carolina A&T spoiled the Runnin' Bulldogs' shutout bid in the bottom of the fifth, as Blakeney drew a walk to lead off the inning then later scored on an RBI single by Alejandra Barcenas to put the final score at 11-1 after only five innings of play.
Junior Jessica Childers (3-10) picked up the win, as the righty held the Lady Aggies to only two hits and one walk, while striking out one over the first three innings of play. Fellow pitcher Alyssa Gutierrez pitched the final two innings of the five-inning contest, giving up one run on four hits and two walks.
North Carolina A&T's Janika May (1-9) was handed the loss, as she was hit up for 11 runs, four of which were earned, on 12 hits and four walks over five innings of work.
Burns again led GWU at the plate, as she was 2-for-3 with a walk, two RBIs and two runs scored, while Dulkowski was 1-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Pridgen was 2-for-2 with a stolen base, while Gallardo was 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored and Baker was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Barcenas was 1-for-3 with an RBI, while Edmonds was 2-for-3 to lead the Lady Aggies at the plate in game two.
Gardner-Webb (9-27, 4-14 Big South) will wrap up its road slate this weekend with a three-game conference series at Charleston Southern on Saturday and Sunday, April 20th & 21st, in Charleston, S.C.
###
| Game 1 Box Score: GWU 4, N.C. A&T 1 |
| Game 2 Box Score: GWU 11, N.C. A&T 1 (5-innings) |
