GREENVILLE, S.C. - The Gardner-Webb University softball team (14-11) closed out the Furman Round Robin on Saturday afternoon, suffering a pair close defeats to Furman and Youngstown State
Game One - Youngstown State 10, Gardner-Webb 7
With a 9 a.m. start time, Gardner-Webb dropped a wild 10-7 game to Youngstown State to begin Saturday, undone by a six-run top of the fifth by the Penguins
The Runnin' Bulldogs got off to a dream start, jumping in front 5-0 in the bottom of the first. Junior catcher
Taylor Dreher got the hit parade started with the first of three RBI base knocks for GWU in the first. Dreher came around to score on a hit by junior outfielder
Maura Pendleton, not long before a third base hit from junior outfielder
Emily Garcia, who continued to swing a hot bat for the weekend.
YSU would tag Gardner-Webb for 10 runs over the next five innings however, creating a hole the Runnin' Bulldogs couldn't climb out of, despite a late effort. Garcia added her second RBI single of the game in the third inning, while junior first baseman
Bella Ligotti drove in a run in the seventh.
For the game, Gardner-Webb collected seven runs on 10 hits, while nine different players reached base at least once for the 'Dawgs and eight different players collected at least one hit
Game Two - Furman 5, Gardner-Webb 4
In the late game, hosts Furman would use a three-run fourth inning and hold off a late rally by the Runnin' Bulldogs, as Gardner-Webb fell 5-4
After surrendering a run in the top of the first, Gardner-Webb hit right back off the bat of sophomore catcher
Carmen McRae, who doubled home a run in the second to tie the game at 1-1.
Junior catcher
Ella Christopher pushed home a second run in the third, an inning before Pendelton reached on a fielder's choice. Without leaving the infield on two occasions, Gardner-Webb lead 3-1 through four.
Down 5-3 entering the seventh, the Runnin' Bulldogs clawed back a run off the bat of Christopher, who found the gap in left center to make the score 5-4 and put the tying run in scoring position. However, Gardner-Webb would leave the tying run stranded on second to end the game.
As with the early game, Gardner-Webb posted nine hits scattered between eight players, and reached base a total of 13 times in the seven innings played.
UP NEXT
The 'Dawgs make the short trip down to Wofford on Tuesday afternoon, taking on the Terriers in a 3:00-5:00 doubleheader in Spartanburg.
