BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Kaylee Wacaster's two-RBI walk-off single lifted the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs over the ETSU Bucs, 5-4, in front of the home crowd at Brinkley Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
ETSU (8-4-2) scored a pair of runs in the second and third innings and added two more in the fifth to take a 4-0 lead, but the Runnin' Bulldogs battled back.
Gardner-Webb (8-5) scored all five of its runs in the bottom of the seventh to win the final game of the GWU Tournament Sponsored by Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott and help
Brooke Perry get her sixth victory in eight tries this season.
The Runnin' Bulldogs got two extra-base hits to begin the frame with
Jenna Wacaster doubling to left field and scoring when freshman
Autumn Owen tripled.
Immediately following Owen's at-bat,
Callie Thornton was hit by a pitch, and
Lauren Huffman drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases with nobody out.
Owen was thrown out when
Lily Pressley reached on a fielders' choice, but that was the lone out that ETSU recorded in the inning.
Andria Booth legged out a single up the middle before
Annamarie Warley singled, and runners scored on both base hits before
Kaylee Wacaster stepped into the batter's box.
With one out and the 'Dogs trailing by one run, 4-3, K. Wacaster saw five pitches before hitting pitch number six to third base for a single that skirted into the outfield.
The Runnin' Bulldogs took advantage of speed on the base paths as Pressley came home from second and Booth sprinted around the base paths from second base to score the game-winning run.
Gardner-Webb had eight hits in the comeback victory with Booth and K.Wacaster accounting for four of the eight. Booth was 2-for-3 with an RBI while Wacaster went 2-for-4 and batted in two runs.
ETSU had five hits in the loss – four singles and a home run – with five different players getting hits.
Perry (6-2) earned the win. She threw a complete game and gave up four runs (one earned), while striking out five. Perry has appeared in eight games and thrown a complete game each time. She has a 2.42 ERA and has struck out 69 batters.
ETSU's Kelly Schmidt (4-2), who entered in the seventh with hopes of being credited with her first save of the season, took the loss. Schmidt gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in 0.1 innings in the circle.
Gardner-Webb will hit the road for a mid-week doubleheader at South Carolina State on Tuesday, February 26. Game one is set to begin at 2 p.m.
