Box score (Game 2) | Game 3 (Game 3) | GWUphotos.com
RADFORD, Va.- The Gardner-Webb softball team (17-21, 3-8 BSC) lost both games of a doubleheader to Radford (24-15, 7-5 BSC), dropping the first game of the day, 3-1, and came up short in game two, falling 11-9 in 11 innings.
Mackenzie Thompson struck out a season-high eight batters for GWU in the first game of the day, but Abby Morrow limited the Runnin' Bulldogs to just three hits to earn her 13th win of the season.
In game two, Gardner-Webb scored six runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 6-5 lead, but Radford scored a run in the bottom of the inning, and the game went into extra innings. The two teams scored a run in the tenth, and GWU added two more in the top of the 11th, but Whitney Davis smashed a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the inning, to send the Highlanders to the 11-9 victory,
Scarlett Harris led the way at the plate for the Runnin' Bulldogs, going 4-for-9, with two RBI and a double, while Amanda Gomes drove in a team-high three RBI on the day.
Game 1- Gardner-Webb 1, Radford 3
Radford had a chance to take the lead in the bottom of the first inning, as Marissa Gagliano tripled to begin the inning, but Thompson struck out the next two batters and got Marissa Yow to foul out to end the inning, without surrendering a run.
Yow would get her revenge in the bottom of the fourth, as she smacked a two-run homer over the center field fence to put Radford ahead 2-0.
Megan Gibbons singled for GWU's first hit of the afternoon, and later would come around to score cutting the deficit to just one run.
However, Jessica Curbiera led off the home half of the fifth with a solo shot to send the Highlanders to a 3-1 win.
Game 2 (11 inn.)- Gardner-Webb 9, Radford 11
The game remained scoreless until the third when Summer Robinson singled home Gagliano to give Radford the early lead. The Highlanders added four runs in next inning as RU led 5-0 after four innings of play.
Gardner-Webb's bats came to life in the sixth, as it sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning and totaled six runs on four hits. Gomes drew a bases loaded walk for the first run of the inning and Harris followed with a double to right center, scoring Blank and Cumiskey, Gibbons reached on an error, and the Highlanders made a pitching change to hopefully limit the damage done. The pitching change worked, as Champion fouled out for the first out of the inning, but Callie Thorton drew a bases loaded walk and Allie Barrick singled home Sam Harrell for the fifth run of the inning. Thorton notched the sixth run of the inning, scoring on Jill Blank's walk with the bases full of GWU players.
It looked as if GWU would go on for the victory after the big inning, but Robinson tied the game at sixth and sent the game to extra innings with an RBI single.
Neither side scored in the eighth or ninth inning, but Thorton drove home Harris in the 10th to put GWU on to 7-6.
Similar to the sixth inning, Radford tie the game at seven on an RBI single by Gagliano, but Gomes came back in the top of the 11th and drove home two runs with an RBI single to right field.
The Highlanders fought back in the bottom of the 11th and tied the game as Robinson smashed a double to left center plating two runs to tie the game, and Davis followed with a walk-off home run to send the Highlanders to victory.
Gardner-Webb returns to the diamond Tuesday, when it hosts Presbyterian at 5:00 p.m.
