Gardner-Webb Splits Wednesday Twin-Bill With Presbyterian
April 24, 2014 | Softball
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. --- Samantha Meenaghan (Atlantic Beach, Fla.) collected four hits, including a 3-for-4 effort in game two, and Megan Champion (Knightdale, N.C.) clubbed a two-run home run in the nightcap to lead Gardner-Webb to a doubleheader split with Presbyterian on Wednesday evening in Big South Conference play.
Gardner-Webb (15-33, 5-15 BSC) took game one by a tally of 5-2, as Presbyterian (24-22, 9-11 BSC) answered a five-run rally by the Runnin' Bulldogs with four tallies of its own to claim the nightcap, 8-6, in eight innings and split the doubleheader. The Runnin' Bulldogs plated 11 runs on 18 hits in the twin-bill, including two home runs, while the Blue Hose scored 10 runs on 17 base knocks.
Meenaghan paced the Runnin' Bulldogs with four hits while Champion added three base knocks of her own, scoring three runs with one home run and four RBI. Jill Blank (Leola, Pa.), Amanda Gomes (Coral Springs, Fla.), Savannah Burns (Vale, N.C.), and Megan Gibbons (Benson, N.C.) each chipped in two hits, while Burns and Gibbons both drove in two runs.
Jessica Childers (Jacksonville Beach, Fla.) earned the win in game one, allowing two runs and striking out seven over seven innings. Alyssa Gutierrez (Wake Forest, N.C.) tossed eight innings in the nightcap, surrendering three earned runs and striking out five.
Hope Rogers led the way for Presbyterian with one home run and five RBI, as Jill McLean and Erin Ruff each tallied four hits in the twin-bill. Katie Brown drove in two runs for the Blue Hose.
Kenlsey Loudermelk took the ball for the Blue Hose in game one, allowing three earned runs on three and two-thirds innings, as Katie Brown tossed the final two and one-third. Sydney Seigler got the nod in game two, surrendering two earned runs on seven hits in four and one-third innings. Natasha Sherrod threw three and two-thirds no-hit innings in relief to earn the victory.
Game One: Gardner-Webb 5, Presbyterian 2
Gardner-Webb got on the board early, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Gibbons. The Runnin' Bulldogs doubled the advantage to 2-0 in the third, when Childers drove in Champion with a single up the middle.
After Champion and Gibbons pushed the lead to 4-0 with back-to-back RBI singles in the fourth, Gomes launched a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left to give the Runnin' Bulldogs a 5-0 advantage in the fifth.
Presbyterian cut into the margin in the sixth, trimming the lead to 5-2 with a two-run double by Brown before Childers shut the door, retiring four of the final five batters she faced to close out the victory.
Game Two: Presbyterian 8, Gardner-Webb 6
The Blue Hose opened the scoring in the first, taking a 3-0 lead on a three-run homer by Rogers before Gardner-Webb answered in the home half, cutting the advantage to 3-2 on a two-run triple by Burns. After Presbyterian pushed the margin to 4-2 in the second, the Runnin' Bulldogs evened the tally in the third, knotting the score at 4-4 following a two-run home run by Champion.
Gardner-Webb plated two more runs in the fifth, taking a 6-4 lead following a pair of Blue Hose errors and base knocks by Meenaghan and Beres.
Presbyterian fought back in the seventh, tying the score at 6-6 with a two-run single by Rogers. The Blue Hose plated the eventual winning runs in the eighth, claiming an 8-6 advantage on back-to-back singles by McLean and Ruff.
Gardner-Webb returns to action on Saturday, traveling to Radford, Va. for a doubleheader against Radford to kick off its final Big South series of the season at 1:00 pm. Both games will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
| Box Score: Gardner-Webb 5, Presbyterian 2 |
| Box Score: Presbyterian 8, Gardner-Webb 6 |
