OXFORD, AL - The Gardner-Webb softball team was back home on Wednesday night, splitting a mid-week doubleheader against Western Carolina

Game One - Gardner-Webb 10, Western Carolina 7
Game One featured no shortage of fireworks, as Gardner-Webb overturned an early deficit to the tune of first and second inning crooked numbers, shutting down WCU late for a 10-7 win

The two teams combined for 14 runs in the first two innings, left in a 7-7 tie after the first six outs each. This included a three-run first, and a four-run second for GWU. Senior right-hander Alli Stidham helped her own cause with a two-run single in the first, followed by senior catcher Taylor Dreher finding the gap to score Dreher, giving GWU a 3-2 lead

Down 7-3 in the second, Gardner-Webb got an RBI single from sophomore second baseman Reese Collier, then RBI doubles from Dreher and Stidham to quickly tie the score. Collier and Stidham both scored on Dreher's double into the right-center field gap, 7-7

Stidham again did damage at the plate as the Runnin' Bulldogs added fourth and sixth inning insurance runs. The Saginaw, Texas native added an RBI on a sac fly in the fourth before homering to left in the sixth, giving Gardner-Webb its 10-7 lead. In addition to 2.0 innings in the circle, Stidham was 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored and six runs batted in

In the circle meanwhile, Hannah Frye was excellent in relief and picked up the decision after 5.0 innings, two hits, two strikeouts, and no runs allowed

Game Two - Western Carolina 13, Gardner-Webb 7
Gardner-Webb fell behind huge early in Game Two, then nearly rallied all the way back before Western Carolina pulled away late, 13-7

After six runs in the top of the second for Western Carolina and three more in the top of the fourth, Gardner-Webb was facing a 9-1 hole. What followed was a five-run bottom of the fourth for the Dawgs. Collier and junior left fielder Lilly Deaton recorded RBI doubles, senior shortstop Annicka McLaughlin added an RBI single, senior first baseman Maggie Knight sent a run across via sac fly, and sophomore pinch hitter Madden McMahan-Waters pushed one across via a bases loaded walk. Gardner-Webb briefly brought the go-ahead run to the plate with the bases loaded, but left them as such, ending the inning down 9-6

Knight was back at the plate in the fifth, sending Deaton home to score via the sac fly, bringing Gardner-Webb to as close as it would come, trailing 9-7. She was productive in every at bat in the late game, with a walk and two sac flies.

With four more runs in the top of the sixth, Western Carolina pulled away for a 13-7 win over the Runnin' Bulldogs

RECORD BOOKS
With three runs in the first inning of Game One on Wednesday night, the Runnin' Bulldogs set a new program record for the most runs in the first 15 games of a season with 113 scored. The 2026 team comes in just ahead of 2019 (105 runs) and 2016 (92 runs) in the all-time tally

UP NEXT
GWU returns to action on Friday at the Spring in The Springs Tournament, taking on North Dakota State and Lafayette