BOILING SPRINGS - Gardner-Webb hosted Big South opponent Winthrop Saturday for games one and two of its three-game series in front of a crowd filled with alumni from 1980-2021.
 
It was a defensive start to game one as neither team scored through four.
 
In the top of the fifth, however, Winthrop scored two runs to take a 2-0 lead.
 
In the bottom of the inning, Annicka McLaughlin used her speed to beat out a slow roller to third and took second on the throw. Kiara Kennedy followed up with a single up the middle to score McLaughlin and bring the 'dogs within one. Alexa Key came in to pinch run for Kennedy and immediately stole second. Freshman catcher Taylor Dreher came up and batted Key in on a ball to the shortstop to tie the game.
 
The game went right back to the defensive battle it started as, and neither team drove runners in through eight innings.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, still knotted at two, Dreher started the inning by reaching first on an error. Kasey Fava followed up by beating out a single to the shortstop to put runners on first and second with no outs. The Runnin' Bulldogs' RBI leader, Andrea Lyon, stepped up to the plate and delivered a shot over the left-center wall to lift Gardner-Webb over Winthrop 5-2 in game one.
 
Kasey Fava led Gardner-Webb with four hits in five at-bats. Fava hit four singles through nine innings against the Eagles. Annicka McLaughlin went 3-4 with three singles. Ella Christopher and Kiara Kennedy hit singles as well. Andrea Lyon hit the walk off 3-run shot in the bottom of the ninth with Kennedy and Dreher earning the other two RBIs in the 5-2 victory. In all, the 'dogs racked up 10 hits in game one.
 
Lyon pitched all nine innings for Gardner-Webb and struck out 10 batters while only surrendering three hits.
 
Game two of the doubleheader started similar to game one.
 
GWU had a good scoring opportunity in the bottom of the third when Kasey Fava singled to center. Taylor Dreher walked, and Ella Christopher batted the runners over, but they were unable to capitalize.
 
Seven innings came and went without a run scored from either side and for the second time in as many games Gardner-Webb and Winthrop went to extra innings.
 
The Eagles broke through in the top of the eighth and scored a run to take a 1-0 advantage.
 
In the bottom of the inning Dreher and Fava singled, but no runs would come of it as GWU fell to Winthrop in game two.

Fava led in hits again with two singles in four trips to the plate. Three Runnin' Bulldogs also registered singles in Christopher, Dreher, and Adrienne Visintine.
 
Freshman Alli Stidham went the distance in the circle for Gardner-Webb, striking out five batters in eight innings.
 
The 'dogs will play the series-deciding game three Sunday, April 2, at 12:00 P.M. from Brinkley Softball Stadium in Boiling Springs.