BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs went 1-1 on day two of the GWU Tournament Sponsored by Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, defeating the Saint Francis Red Flash, 2-1, before losing to Bowling Green, 7-4, despite a late comeback attempt.
Game One: Gardner-Webb 2, Saint Francis 1
For the second straight day Gardner-Webb's
Brooke Perry went toe-to-toe with an opposing pitcher for a complete game, and this time the contest ended in favor of the Runnin' Bulldogs.
A leadoff double helped the Saint Francis Red Flash score the first run of the game, but Gardner-Webb tied the game in the bottom of the first inning.
The Runnin' Bulldogs' first two batters were retired, but an error allowed
Kaylee Wacaster to reach base, and Perry helped herself with an RBI-double.
For the next three innings, each team would manage at least one base runner during its half of the inning, with Gardner-Webb's
Lily Pressley getting as far as third base but being left stranded in the bottom of the third.
After a quiet fourth inning, Perry retired the Red Flash in order in the top of the fifth, and Gardner-Webb pulled ahead, 2-1, in the bottom of the inning.
With one out,
Andria Booth and
Annamarie Warley hit back-to-back singles to give the Runnin' Bulldogs a pair of base runners. Following a strikeout, Perry hit her second RBI-double of the game to help Gardner-Webb took the lead.
In the sixth, the redshirt sophomore pitcher allowed just a single, and Saint Francis' Mikayla Bower worked around a leadoff double as both teams were held scoreless.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, an error allowed SFU's Kassidy Troxell to reach base. Troxell gave Gardner-Webb a scare by reaching third on two wild pitches.
Perry struck out the final batter – Saint Francis' Allyn Bezjak – to earn the win. She gave surrendered just one earn run on two hits, while striking out nine Red Flash batters. Perry improved to 5-2, while SFU's Bower fell to 2-3 overall.
At the plate,
Autumn Owen was a perfect 3-for-3, and Perry went 2-for-3 with two RBI. For Saint Francis, Cheyenne McKee and Mekenzie Saban recorded hits.
Game Two: Gardner-Webb 4, Bowling Green 7
Gardner-Webb plated all four of its runs in the bottom of the seventh, but a seven-run deficit was too much to overcome as the Runnin' Bulldogs dropped their final game on Saturday, 7-4, less than 24 hours after falling in extra innings to the Falcons.
A wild pitch and three-RBI double in the first inning gave the Falcons a 4-0 lead after just a half inning of play.
The Runnin' Bulldogs went down in order in the first inning and left runners stranded 60 feet from home in the bottom of the second and third innings respectively.
After extending their lead to 6-0 in their half of the third, the Bucs added a seventh run off a sacrifice fly in the fourth.
ETSU's advantage remained at 7-0 through six and a half innings before Gardner-Webb mounted a comeback in the bottom of the seventh.
Pressley began the frame with a single through the left side of the infield on the first pitch she saw and was batted in by
Andria Booth to get the Runnin' Bulldogs on the scoreboard. Later in the inning, an RBI-groundout by K. Wacaster scored Booth.
Jenna Wacaster hit her second home run of the season, smacking the fifth pitch of her at-bat over the center field fence. Her two-RBI shot scored Perry and made it a 7-4 game in favor of the Bucs.
After Bowling Green's Madison French gave up the home run, starter Brooke Parker reentered and gave up a single to
Autumn Owen before ending the game with a popout to second.
For Gardner-Webb,
Reah Barger (0-1) took the loss. She threw just 0.1 innings and surrendered four earned runs.
Laken Myers threw the remaining 6.2 innings and gave up three runs. BGSU's Parker (1-1) won her first game of the year. She threw 5.1 innings and allowed up seven hits but no runs and struck out ten.
J. Wacaster, Booth, Owen and Pressley each recorded two hits for the Runnin' Bulldogs. A trio of Falcons – Alex Sorgi, Marissa Mullen and Logan Everett – had two hits.
Gardner-Webb will return to action tomorrow, the final day of the GWU Tournament Sponsored by Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, at 12 noon vs. ETSU.
