ROCK HILL, SC – The UNC Greensboro softball team split in second day action at the adidas Invitational hosted by Winthrop. The Spartans pulled out a 4-3 extra-inning win over Towson in game one but fell to Gardner-Webb 2-0 to take a split on the afternoon.
UNCG (16-13) picked up their third consecutive victory with their 4-3 win over Towson in game one. Towson got on the board first with a run in the bottom of the first inning with a run by Jen Hastings. UNCG pitcher Hannah Angel walked Hastings who advanced to second with a Towson single in the next at bat. She came across home plate with a RBI double to give the Tiger the early 1-0 advantage.
UNCG rallied in the top of the fourth with a run by Leslie Furness. Furness reached with a single to right center. Oakes, who pinch ran for Furness, advanced on a stolen base and came across home plate when Kara Clouser hit an RBI double. The Spartans added two more runs in the fifth inning to take a 3-1 lead.
Senior outfielder Heather Branche started the inning with a leadoff single to left center which was followed by a single up the middle by Brittany Ausley. Branche advanced to third on a stolen base and came around the bases when Jennifer Bonilla hit a single up the middle. UNCG picked up another run when Ausley came home on a single by Furness, her second hit of the game.
Towson managed to tie the game up with a two-run double to left center which sent the game into extra innings. Furness, who was placed on second base per international tie-breaker rules, scored the game-winning run when Lyndsay Mouse hit a single up the middle.
Hannah Angel picked up the win after allowing three runs on nine hits in 8.0 innings pitched. She had 10 strikeouts and walked two.
In the late game, UNCG couldn't muster any offense and only had three hits in the game. The teams were scoreless heading into the sixth inning but Gardner-Webb managed to get on the board. They took a 1-0 lead with a leadoff double and sent a runner around the bases with a sacrifice fly in the next at bat.
The Bulldogs scored what proved to be the game-winning run in the seventh inning. Gardner-Webb again had a leadoff double to start the inning and a miscue by Harrell moved the runner to third base. The Bulldogs scored on a base hit in the next at bat which snapped UNCG's three-game win streak.
Amber Harrell, who entered the game in relief of starter Vanessa Oakes, suffered the loss for the Spartans after allowing two runs in one inning pitched.
UNCG concludes action at the adidas Invitational on Sunday. Single elimination play begins at 9 am with the championship game set to start at 1 pm.
AGATE
Game One
UNCG 000 120 01 4-12-0
TOW 100 000 20 3-9-2
UNCG: Hannah Angel, TOW: Jillian Kiley
W: Angel (5-3). L: Kiley (1-2). SV: None.
Game Two
UNCG 000 000 0 0-3-1
GWU 000 001 1 2-9-0
UNCG: Oakes and Harrell, GWU: Beck
W: Beck L: Harrell (4-8).SV: None.
- UNCG -
