BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – On the opening day of the Red and Black Tournament, the Gardner-Webb softball team defeated Marist, 5-1, before falling to North Carolina Central, 7-5, in eight innings.

Game One: Gardner-Webb 5, Marist 1

The Red Foxes jumped out to a 1-0 lead, but Gardner-Webb's bats came alive in the bottom of the second, as the host team plated four runs en route to a 4-1 lead.

Maddi Johnson was hit by a pitch to open the inning, and Lauren Huffman walked before a pair of pinch runners – Annamarie Warley and Lily Pressley – entered the game. Rachel Cumiskey loaded the bases when she reached on an error, and the 'Dogs threated with nobody out.

Trinity Sterrett's RBI fielder's choice scored Warley, while Pressley came home on the error by the Red Foxes' third baseman. Weslyn Almond batted in the final two runs of the inning with a double to left field, and the Runnin Bulldogs held a 4-1 lead after two innings.

Marist recorded three hits over the next two innings but were unable to send home any runners. Gardner-Webb added what would be its fifth and final run in the bottom of the fourth.

Cumiskey got on base via an error to open the inning and eventually found herself on third after Sterrett singled to left. The senior scored when Sterrett got caught in a rundown and was thrown out at second base, making the score 5-1 in favor of the 'Dogs.

The Red Foxes loaded the bases in the fifth and got runners on first and second in the sixth, but Ashley Wark was able to successfully record the third out and hold Marist scoreless.

Wark faced only four batters in the top of the seventh and earned her seventh victory of the year as Gardner-Webb opened tournament play with a 5-1 victory. Megan Beiermeister took the loss for Marist.

Four Runnin' Bulldogs recorded a hit in the contest. Katie Prebble, Sterrett and Cumiskey all singled, while Almond had a double.

Game Two: Gardner-Webb 5, North Carolina Central 7 (8 innings)

Despite leading 5-0 after two innings in its last contest on Friday, the final score did not go favor of Gardner-Webb, as the Eagles of North Carolina Central rallied for a 7-5 win in eight innings.

A big first innings saw the Runnin Bulldogs send eight batters to the plate and score four times.

Almond walked to start the bottom of the first, but was thrown out trying to steal second. Andria Booth singled up the middle, and Kaylee Wacaster reached on a fielder's choice, bringing Prebble, the reigning Big South Conference Freshman of the Week, to the plate.

Prebble smashed her 11^th home run of the season over the center field fence, putting Gardner-Webb up 2-0.

Two more extra-base hits – a triple by Cumiskey and double by Katie Stettler – allowed the Runnin' Bulldogs to score a pair of runs and hold a 4-0 advantage after one inning.

In the second, two singles and back-to-back walks extended the home team's lead to 5-0, which is what the score remained until the top of the fifth.

The Eagles scored four times in their half of the fifth inning, taking advantage of two walks, two doubles and an error.

North Carolina Central's RBI single tied the game just two innings later, and Gardner-Webb was unable to manage any runs in its half of the seventh, going down in order.

With a runner beginning the top of the eighth on second base, an error and RBI single gave NCCU a one-run lead, 6-5. The Eagles used an RBI groundout to extend its advantage to 7-5 with Gardner-Webb down to its final three outs.

The Runnin' Bulldogs threatened in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases with two outs when Booth walked. A strikeout ended the game with three 'Dogs stranded on base, and GWU suffered a 7-5 defeat.

Sam Harrell got the start, going 4.1 innings and giving up four runs (two earned). Laken Myers received the loss, pitching 3.2 innings of three hit ball. Myers surrendered three runs, one of which was earned, and struck out three. NCCU's Courtney Mirabella earned the win.

Booth (3-for-5) led the Runnin' Bulldogs at the plate.

Gardner-Webb is now 11-8 overall and will return to action tomorrow, Saturday, March 3, at 12 noon against NCCU and 2 p.m. versus Marist.