BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb University softball team (6-1) continued to roll early in the season on Friday afternoon, defeating Iona 7-1 and Sacred Heart 10-2 in five innings to open the Red and Black Classic and move its winning streak to six games
GAME ONE - Iona at Gardner-Webb
Two big innings would be the story against Iona, with the 'Dawgs putting up three runs in the second and four runs in the sixth, more than enough to help see freshman pitcher
Hannah Frye to her second victory of the young season.
After the Gales went ahead in the top of the first, the Runnin' Bulldogs punched right back. Junior first baseman
Bella Ligotti provided the big swing, sending a three-run-homer over the wall in left field, pushing Gardner-Webb to a 3-1 lead. Ligotti wasn't done there, as she connected on her second home run in the sixth inning, giving the Runnin' Bulldogs a 5-1 lead.
Junior shortstop
Ella Christopher continued her torrid start to the 2025 season on Friday as well, helping GWU drive in two more runs in the sixth. Christopher reached on a fielding error at second, pushing a pair of runs home to make the score 7-1.
With a big lead, the aforementioned Frye had no issues in the circle. The Kingsport, Tenn. native tossed a complete game, allowing five hits and just the one earned run. Frye also struck out eight, a season-high for any pitcher in the Gardner-Webb rotation to this point.
Ligotti was the standout player in the lineup in the early game for Gardner-Webb, finishing 2-for-2 with two runs scored, five runs driven in and a walk for good measure.
GAME TWO - Sacred Heart at Gardner-Webb
The Runnin' Bulldogs showed off the power in the late game, crushing two home runs, an RBI double and 12 total hits en route to a five inning victory.
Gardner-Webb got started early off the bat of graduate third baseman
Araceli Pesqueira, with the Laveen, Az. native hitting an RBI double off the wall in left center on just the third at bat of the game. Ligotti stayed hot on the plate into the second game on Friday as well, with an RBI ground out enough to put GWU in front 2-0.
Christopher continued to star for the Runnin' Bulldogs, with a home run in the third and another in the fifth giving Gardner-Webb the room it needed for an early finish. In the third, Christopher put the 'Dawgs in front 4-0 on a two-run shot to left center, she'd go back to the same part of the ballpark with a three-run homer in the fifth as the Runnin' Bulldogs won 10-2. The Longwood, Fla. native entered Friday the nation's leader in batting average, and added to that with a 4-for-4 game, five RBI and two runs scored.
In between the two home runs, Gardner-Webb got a two-RBI single off the bat of Pesqueira and a pinch-hit RBI single from freshman
Madden McMahan-Waters to open up its big lead. Pesqueira would finish the day 2-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored.
The Runnin' Bulldogs pieced together 5.0 innings from three different pitchers in the circle against Sacred Heart, with freshman
Anna Hornbaker doing the most to grab her first collegiate win. Hornbaker tossed 3.0 innings, allowed two earned runs and struck out two batters.
UP NEXT
Day two of the Red and Black Classic is set for Saturday, where the Runnin' Bulldogs will face Robert Morris at 3 p.m. and Sacred Heart again at 5:30 p.m. inside Brinkley Stadium
