Big South Softball Summary - April 19
USC Upstate completed its sweep of Gardner-Webb, while Winthrop and Radford split their twinbill on Saturday. Longwood avoided being swept by Charleston Southern with a victory as well.
USC UPSTATE 8, GARDNER-WEBB 3 | BOX SCORE
USC UPSTATE 7, GARDNER-WEBB 3 | BOX SCORE
Returning to the Brinkley Softball Stadium, Upstate Softball took the field already leading the series with a Friday afternoon win to take on Gardner-Webb for a Saturday afternoon doubleheader where the Spartans finished the series sweeping the Runnin' Bulldogs.
RADFORD 2, WINTHROP 1 | BOX SCORE
WINTHROP 2, RADFORD 1 | BOX SCORE
Game 1 - With the series up for grabs, Radford leaned on its pitching in game one and got another fantastic showing from Morgan Cooper. The Eagles had a pair of baserunners in the first and second, but Cooper ended the threats with strikeouts to keep the game at 0-0. Cooper would tally three more strikeouts in the third and induced a 1-2-3 fourth inning to keep cruising onwards. Radford's offense got its first baserunner in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a walk from Harrison but were kept hitless in the continued tie.
Game 2 - The Eagles struck in the bottom of the fifth for a 1-0 lead. Emmy Cardenas was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and replaced by pinch-runner Emma Roberson. Lonna Addison walked to put runners and first and second with no outs. Madelyn Miller hit a grounder up the middle that was kept from going to the outfield by the diving second baseman but Roberson kept running on the play and scored ahead of the throw home. Winthrop doubled its lead in the top of the sixth as Megan Powell hit a one out home run to left.
LONGWOOD 8, CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 4 | BOX SCORE
The Longwood softball team scored in all six innings and collected a season-high-tying 12 hits to beat Charleston Southern, 8-4, in the finale of its Big South Conference series at Bank of the James Park on Saturday. Three Lancers posted multiple hits, led by Avery Jefferson's 3-for-5 outing with two runs scored and an RBI and Maryanna Guy blasted her sixth home run of the season — a solo shot to left field — to give Longwood a 3-2 lead in the third inning it would not relinquish.