SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Gardner-Webb softball team (31-24) led early, trailed late, and nearly rallied against No. 1 seed Winthrop (29-21) on Thursday, falling 7-6 and dropping into the elimination bracket at the 2026 Big South Softball Championships
For the second day in a row, Gardner-Webb got off to a dream start. The Runnin' Bulldogs went 1-0 up in the top of the first inning on an RBI single by sophomore third baseman
Caitlin Colley. By the bottom of the second, Winthrop tied the game at 1-1
GWU did some big damage at the plate in the middle innings, eventually taking a 4-1 lead in the top of the fourth. Sophomore third baseman
Reese Collier crushed a tape measure shot to left in the third to make it 2-1. Then in the fourth, the Dawgs played small ball, with a bunt single by senior shortstop
Annicka McLaughlin and a bases loaded walk by senior pitcher
Alli Stidham extended the lead
With a six-run bottom of the fourth however, Winthrop responded to take a 7-4 lead that the Runnin' Bulldogs spent the rest of the afternoon chasing
Behind a strong relief appearance from sophomore right-hander
Anna Hornbaker however, Gardner-Webb did nearly rally. Hornbaker was excellent in her first innings in some three weeks, going 2.2 innings without allowing a run
That set the stage for the top of the sixth. An RBI groundout from Collier was followed by an RBI single back through the box by Stidham. Suddenly, the Runnin' Bulldogs were back in the contest, down just 7-6
Gardner-Webb got a pinch hit single from junior
Addie Stem in the top of the seventh, but the Dawgs were unable to mount the full comeback in a 7-6 defeat
For Gardner-Webb, McLaughlin finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, Stidham was 2-for-3 with two RBI, and Collier was 1-for-3 with two RBI, a run scored, and a home run
UP NEXT
The Runnin' Bulldogs move into the elimination bracket and will face the winner of Presbyterian-Radford on Friday at 2:30 pm.
