SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Gardner-Webb softball team (32-25) saw its historic run in the 2026 Big South Softball Championships come to an end on Friday night, with the Runnin' Bulldogs suffering a semifinal loss to Winthrop (30-22). GWU eliminated Radford earlier in the day with a 4-1 victory.
GAME ONE - No. 5 Gardner-Webb 4, No. 3 Radford 1
Starting off in the elimination bracket, the Runnin' Bulldogs got a complete game, complete team effort to take down Radford and move to the winner take all semifinal later in the day.
As the Dawgs had done all tournament, GWU was in front first. This time, it was off the bat of senior catcher
Taylor Dreher who sent in the game's first run with an RBI groundout in the second inning.
That lead held until the late innings, when the Runnin' Bulldogs found some huge insurance runs. First in the fifth, it was
Reese Collier continuing an excellent individual tournament with a two-RBI single to center. After five, GWU held a 3-0 lead.
Freshman
LY Forte broke the game open with a wild play in the sixth. Forte stole second, then after one fielding error and one throwing error in the Radford outfield, scored all the way from first. Through six, the Dawgs led 4-0.
One run on a fielder's choice meanwhile was all Radford could muster against senior right-hander
Alli Stidham. Stidham dusted off a 7.0 inning complete game, allowing just one earned run and striking out three. She did so on just 92 pitches.
With the win, GWU advanced to a winner take all semifinal game against No. 1 seed Winthrop immediately after.
SEASON IN REVIEW
The Runnin' Bulldogs finish the 2026 season with 32 wins, the fourth-most in the program's NCAA Division I history. A semifinal appearance at the Big South Championship was the program's furthest postseason run since 2012, which included a tournament win for the first time since 2018.