SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The No. 5 seed Gardner-Webb softball team (31-23) scored its first postseason victory since 2018 on Wednesday afternoon, storming back to defeat No. 4 seed Presbyterian (20-31) in the opening round of the 2026 Big South Softball Championship
Gardner-Webb got off to a dream start in its first Big South Tournament game in just shy of a decade. Senior pitcher
Alli Stidham crushed a first inning home run beyond the left field bushes, giving the Dawgs a 1-0 lead
Things looked bleak after Presbyterian scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning, but that would be all the Blue Hose were able to muster off Stidham in the circle. That allowed GWU to eventually climb back in the game
Sophomore center fielder
Lauren Spainhower cut the Presbyterian lead in half in the second. Spainhower sent an RBI single back through the box to bring the score to 4-2, Presbyterian
That score would hold until Gardner-Webb stormed back with a three-run top of the sixth to take the lead. Senior first baseman
Maggie Knight led the inning off with a solo home run to left center, again cutting the Blue Hose lead down to 4-3
The rest of the fun started later in the inning. After sophomore designated player
Madden McMahan-Waters reached on a single, freshman
LY Forte pinch ran and made it all the way to third on a bunt single from senior catcher
Taylor Dreher. Spainhower was next up and tied the game at 4-4 with an RBI single
Junior left fielder
Brooke Freschi then broke the dam, lining an RBI triple off the right field wall. Suddenly, from down 4-1 early, the Runnin' Bulldogs had a 5-4 lead and only six outs left to get
Thanks to an error in left, GWU added an insurance run in the 7th to lead 6-4. Meanwhile in the circle, Stidham worked around runners in scoring position in both the bottom of the sixth and bottom of the seventh to end the game
In the circle, Stidham tossed another complete game, this time with four runs and five walks allowed, but with some stellar defense at her back. This includes a runner thrown out to end the first, and a double play turned by Knight and sophomore second baseman
Reese Collier in the second
Stidham and Spainhower were both excellent at the plate for the Dawgs, each finishing 3-for-4. Spainhower also added a run scored and three RBIs
UP NEXT
Gardner-Webb advances in the winner's bracket to play No. 1 seed Winthrop tomorrow (May 7th) at 2:30 pm.Â
