CLINTON, S.C. – Kellie Beres went 3-5 with four RBI and the Gardner-Webb softball team scored six runs in the eighth inning to defeat Presbyterian 12-7 in the second game of the doubleheader.
The Blue Hose won the first game of the afternoon 3-0, and improved their record to 11-11 on the season and 1-1 in Big South Play, while Gardner-Webb is 8-14 and 2-3 in conference action.
Game 2- Gardner-Webb 12, Presbyterian 7 (8 innings)
Trailing 7-6 entering the seventh inning, PC was down to its final two outs after Legacki fouled out to the third baseman. Hope Rogers smoked a double to center field, and Erin Taylor followed up with a double to left center. Rogers tried to score on Taylor's double, but Beres threw a rope to home plate, and Amanda Gomes tagged Rogers out for the second out of the inning. Taylor advanced to third base on the throw home by Cumiskey, and down to their final out, Blaire Miller came up clutch for the Blue Hose, tying the game at 7 with an RBI double to center field.
In the extra inning, the Runnin' Bulldogs exploded for six runs and four hits. Gardner-Webb's first two batters of the inning would reach base, as Megan Champion doubled and Breanna Blakley drew a walk. Taylar Pridgen laid down a gorgeous bunt to reach base , to load the bases. With the bases full of Dawgs, Beres cleared the bases with a two-RBI double, and Megan Gibbons Gibbons followed with an RBI single to score Beres. Later in the inning, Savannah Burns scored Gibbons on a sacrifice fly, and Cumiskey scored on a wild pitch, for the sixth run of the inning for GWU.
McLean led off the bottom of the eighth with a single, but managed to come around and score on an error by Pridgen, but Summer Darnell shutdown the Blue Hose for the remainder of the eighth, to send Gardner-Webb to the 12-7 victory in extra innings.
PC jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Ruff had an RBI single, but Gardner-Webb would come right back in the top of the second with two runs of its own. Blakley roped an RBI double to left field, which scored Burns, and Beres scored Gomes on an RBI single, to give GWU a 2-1 lead.
Miller tied the game at two for PC, scoring on a Harris single and both teams would go down in order in the third, the score would remain 2-2, after three innings of play.
After Gomes field out for the first out of the fourth, Champion nailed the first pitch she saw over the left field wall for her first home run of the season. Three batters later, Beres singled home Pridgen, and Gardner-Webb once again would lead 4-2 after the top of the fourth.
PC would cut the defecit to one with a run in the fourth, and Miller plated two runs with a single to left field to give the Blue Hose a 5-4 lead at the conclusion of the fifth inning.
Trailing by one entering the sixth inning, Gibbons gave the lead back to the Dawgs with a two run bomb to left center, and Darnell shut down the Blue Hose in the bottom of the sixth.
Sydney Seigler sent Gardner-Webb down in order in the seventh, and trailing by one and down to their final out, Miller came up clutch with an RBI double to send the game into extra innings.
Gardner-Webb made sure the game would not extend beyond the eighth, as it plated six runs, while allowing only one for PC, and salavaged a split with the Blue Hose, taking the second game of the double header 12-7 in eight innings.
Game 1- Gardner-Webb 0, Presbyterian 3
Beres led the way for the Runnin' Bulldogs at the plate going 2-4 at the game, but as a team, GWU was not able to capitalize with runners on base, going 2-15 and were just 1-10 with runners in scoring position.
Summer Darnell tossed six strong innings for the Dawgs, and allowed three runs on eight hits. The Blue Hose had a tough time hitting against Darnell with runners on base, going 4-16 at the plate and were just 1-9 with runners in scoring position. Defensively, the Runnin' Bulldogs had one of their best days in the field, as they did not record a single error for the game.
Beres took an 0-1 pitch and singled through the left side of the field, and proceeded to steal second base to advance into scoring position with no outs in the inning. Gibbons struck out for the first out of the inning, but a dropped third strike by the Blue Hose allowed Beres to advance to third base on the throw from the catcher to the first baseman. The Runnin' Bulldogs were not able to capitalize with the first run of the game, as Cumiskey lined out and Scarlett Harris struck out to end the inning.
Jill McLean grounded out to Darnell for the first out of the inning, but Darnell had a pitch get away from her and hit Jill Harris, for the first baserunner of the game for PC. Shelby Petik fouled out for PC's second out, and it looked like GWU would get out of the inning unscathed, but Erin Ruff rocketed an RBI double to left field to score Harris, for the first run of the game. Ruff advanced to third base on the throw home, but Darnell regrouped and made a great pitch to Kersten Legacki who popped out to Burns to end the inning. `
The Runnin' Bulldogs had an opportunity to tie the game at one in the third inning when Pridgen singled to lead off the inning, and stole second. Beres followed up with a single, Gibbons reached first base on a fielders choice, Beres advanced to second, but the Blue Hose stepped on third for the force out. Cumiskey popped up to shortstop and Harris struck out, and the Blue Hose would escape the inning clinging to the 1-0 advantage.
The Blue Hose added a run in the fifth and sixth, while limiting Gardner-Webb to just two hits over that span, and PC would take the first game of the doubleheader with a 3-0 victory.
Gardner-Webb returns to action this weekend for a three-game series at Charleston Southern. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start, and a single game Sunday, slated for 1:00 p.m.
