Box Score (PDF) | GWUphotos.com
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.- Brittany McPherson's third inning grand slam broke a 3-3 tie and lifted Charleston Southern to a 9-4 victory over the Gardner-Webb softball team Sunday afternoon at the Brinkley Softball Stadium.
With the victory today, Charleston Southern improves to 17-20 overall and moves to 5-4 in conference play, while Gardner-Webb falls to 16-17 and 2-4 in the Big South.
Hayley Elkins picked up her second win is as many days, allowing five hits over four innings, and struck out four to earn her ninth win of the season, while Arizona Pilgrim allowed just one hit in three innings of relief to earn the save.
Jill Blank led the way at the plate for the Runnin' Bulldogs, collecting three hits in her four plate appearances and also drove in two runs. The senior leads the team in batting average (.370), and has been exceptional at the plate in the last 10 games, going 15-for-32 for a .469 average.
Rachel Cumiskey also tallied a multi-hit game for GWU, going 2-for-4 with an RBI single in the fourth inning.
Similar to yesterday's games, the Bucs jumped out to the lead in their first at-bats of the afternoon. CSU loaded the bases with two outs and McPherson cleared the bases with a double to give CSU a 3-0 lead.
Kaylee Wacaster led off the bottom of the first with a strike out, but reached base on a throwing error by the catcher. Blank followed up with a single, and after Cumiskey grounded into a fielders choice, Amanda Gomes drove in the run on a sacrifice fly to left field.
Devyn Thomas shut down the Bucs in the top of the second and the Runnin' Bulldogs tied the game at three in the bottom of the inning. Megan Champion walked and Emma Megal put down a great sacrifice bunt to advance the runner into scoring position. Callie Thornton was down 1-2 in the count, but was patient and drew the second walk of the inning after a nine pitch at-bat. After both base runners advanced 60 feet when Wacaster struck out, but the Bucs dropped the third strike, Blank came through with some clutch hitting, plating both runs on a single to tie the game at three.
McPherson broke the game open for CSU in the third giving the visitors the lead for good, as she rocketed a grand slam onto the roof of the Brinkley Softball Practice Facility.
Gardner-Webb got a run back in the fourth on Cumiskey's RBI single, but CSU added two insurance runs in the sixth and went on for the 9-4 victory.
The Runnin' Bulldogs return to the diamond Wednesday, when they host the Presbyterian Blue Hose for a doubleheader, starting at 4:00 p.m.
