SHELBY, N.C.-Summer Darnell tossed four strong innings allowing just one earned run to earn her third win of the season, and Ashley Wark recorded her second save of the season allowing just one hit in three innings, as the Gardner-Webb softball team defeated Drexel, 3-1 in the first game of the doubleheader, but the Dragons pounded out 20 hits, and salvaged the split, with a 11-5 victory in the second game of the doubleheader, on Saturday afternoon at Crest High School.
The split for the Runnin' Bulldogs improves their record to 5-9 on the year, while Drexel goes to 2-5.
Scarlett Harris was 4-5 on the afternoon, with a double and two RBI, and also blasted her team-leading fourth home run of the season, driving in her 17th and 18th RBI of the season. Rachel Cumiskey and Amanda Gomes each recorded three hits, and Savannah Burns drove in two runs.
Game 1- GWU 3, Drexel 1
Vanessa Lightfoot led off the first for the Dragons with a single to left field, and later in the inning scored the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly to center, as Drexel would take a 1-0 lead after the top of the first.
Kellie Beres singled to third base in the first at bat for GWU, and advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Megan Gibbons. Cumiskey was the third batter of the inning for the Dogs, and came up clutch with an RBI single to left field, to tie the game at one.
Both teams were unable to get a run across in the second inning, but after two straight outs to begin the home half of the third, Harris launched the a solo home runl over the left field wall, to give GWU a 2-1 advantage.
Megan Gibbons sealed the victory for Gardner-Webb with a solo shot in the fifth, and the Runnin' Bulldogs would take the first game of the doubleheader with a 3-1 victory.
Game 2- GWU 5, Drexel 11
The second game of the afternoon provided some offensive excitement, as both teams combined for 16 runs and 32 hits.
Drexel would record a hit in the first and second inning, but could not plate any runs, as the game would remain scoreless after two complete innings.
Back-to-back singles by the Dragons gave Drexel runners on first and second with nobody out. Ueno followed the two straight singles with an RBI double, Leticia Matsuoka continued to keep the offenseive momentum with a walk, forcing GWU to change pitchers. Wark came on to relieve Darnell on the mound, but Drexel scored three more runs in the fifth, to take a 5-0 lead after three innings of play.
The Dragons would add two additional runs in the fourth, but GWU responded with an RBI single by Breanna Blakley to cut the defecit to 6 (7-1) after four innings of play.
Kiana Moreno hit a solo home run in the fifth, but Gardner-Webb continued to fight back, as Taylar Pridgen and Cumiskey each scored unearned runs in the home half of the fifth inning.
Drexel scored three runs in their last at bats, and GWU added two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but it was not enough as Drexel would salvage the doubleheader with an 11-5 victory.
Gardner-Webb returns to action tomorrow for a single game against Drexel at 12:00 p.m., before heading to N.C. A&T for a doubleheader on Wednesday, at 1:00 p.m.
