BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.- Summer Darnell tossed six strong innings allowing just three hits and Scarlett Harris hit her ninth home run of the year to send the Gardner-Webb softball team to a 5-0 victory over Radford in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Crest High School.
Gardner-Webb trailed 6-1 after the second inning and would come all the way back to tie the game at eight headed into the final inning, but Alex Lang hit a solo-shot to lift the Highlanders to the 9-8 victory in the second game of the day.
Before the start of this afternoon's doubleheader, Kellie Beres, Savannah Burns, and Taylar Pridgen were honored along with their family members for Senior Day.
With the split of the doubleheader and after taking two out of the three games against the Highlanders, GWU improves to 14-31 overall and 6-18 in conference, while Radford goes to 12-31 overall and moves to 7-12 in conference play.
Offensively, the Runnin' Bulldogs put together three impressive games at the plate, batting .407 as a team and combining for 20 RBI, seven doubles, and a home run. Individually at the plate, the Dogs were led by Megan Gibbons who went 5-7 with four runs, three doubles, and drove in four RBI, while on the mound, Darnell pitched extremely well in all three games, combining for a 1-1 record with a 3.27 ERA and had four strikeouts.
Game 1- GWU 5, Radford 0
Beres started her first game on the mound since her freshman season, and she looked a bit rusty hitting the first batter she faced, but managed to not allow a hit and would get out of the inning without letting up a run.
Beres helped herself at the plate leading off with a single to left field and would advanced to third with two outs in the inning, but Harris hit a long fly to left field that was caught to end the inning.
Bother pitchers were extremely efficient on the mound not allowing a runner in scoring position over the next two innings, but that would change in the bottom of the fourth, when Harris smashed a long home run over the left field fence to break the tie and put the Dogs up 1-0.
The Runnin' Bulldogs had an opportunity to extend their lead in the fifth as Pridgen hit a one out single and was followed by Beres who singled to third base, and Gibbons advanced the base runners 45 feet with a sacrifice bunt, but Rachel Cumiskey fouled out to the shortstop to end the inning.
Gardner-Webb held Radford scoreless in the sixth and would head to the home-half of the inning still leading by one.
Harris walked to begin the inning, and head coach Maggie White would go to the bullpen for Radford and bring in Tiffany Brown, but she gave up singles to Champion and Burns. On the single by Burns, Scarlett Harris tied to score from second base, but center fielder Becky Mantel threw a dart to home plate, in time to tag Harris out for the first out of the inning.
Brown settled down and used the momentum to strike out Blakey for the second out and looked as if Radford would get out of the inning unscathed, but Jill Blank drew a walk to load the bases.
GWU head coach Tom Cole went to his bench and pinch-hit Amanda Gomes for Pridgen, and Gomes made the most of her at-bat, driving home Champion with an RBI single. Beres drew a bases loaded walk, and Maggie White once again went to her bullpen and this time would bring in Taylar Asimakopoulos to put a stop to the inning.
Asimakopoulos hit Gibbons in the leg which scored the fourth run of the game for the Dogs and Cumiskey drew a walk for the fourth run of the inning, and Gardner-Webb would send the Highlanders down in order to end the game and give the Runnin' Bulldogs the 5-0 victory.
Game 2- GWU 8, Radford 9
Radford would regroup during the break between the two games and got off to a great start getting a leadoff home-run by Becky Mantel to take a 1-0 advantage.
Beres would put together another great at-bat and singled to lead off the inning. She stole second base to put herself in scoring position and went to third on a passed ball. The senior center fielder was rewarded scoring the tying run for the Dogs on a sacrifice fly to right field by Gibbons.
Radford loaded the bases with one out and in her second at-bat of the game, Megan Honaker gave the Highlanders a 2-1 lead with an RBI single. Cole went to the bullpen to bring in Darnell and she recorded the second out of the inning on a line-out by Rowe, but Whitney Davis put a great swing on the ball, plating four runs with a grand slam and Radford would lead 6-1 after the top half of the second.
Like they had done for the entire weekend, the Runnin' Bulldogs came right back with a run of their own getting an RBI single by Jill Blank to cut the lead to 6-2.
Gomes and Burns each drove in a run in the third and the Dogs would cut the deficit to 6-4 as the game headed into the fourth inning.
Radford increased its lead once again to four with two more runs in the fourth, but Gibbons doubled home a run and Harris drove in the second run of the inning, as Radford held a 8-6 lead after fourth inning.
Looking to tie the game and complete the three-game sweep of the Highlanders, Beres got the sixth inning off to a good start with a single and would advance to second on a passed ball. Gibbons followed the leadoff hitter with a single of her own, which advanced Beres to third base. Gibbons stole second base to put herself in scoring position, and Cumsikey came up clutch tying the game at eight with an RBI double as the teams would head into the final inning all tied at 7.
Maggie White went to her bench brining in Alex Lang to pinch-hit for Summer Robinson and the substation proved to be genius as Lang hit a solo shot to send the Highlanders to the 9-8 victory.
Gardner-Webb returns to action on Wednesday afternoon for its final regular-season doubleheader of the year when it hosts Furman at Kings Mountain. First pitch for the doubleheader is slated to begin at 3:00 p.m.
