GREENSBORO, N.C. – GREENSBORO, N.C.- The UNCG softball team split a pair of games on the second day of the Blue/Gold Challenge at the UNCG Softball Stadium Friday afternoon. The Spartans won the first game against Robert Morris (6-19), 6-5, in walk-off fashion when Stephanie Bryden (Orlando, Fla./East River) pinch hit in the bottom of the seventh inning and drove in Rachael McClaskey (Pine Hill, N.J./Overbrook) with a single to center field.

In game two, UNCG fell to Northern Illinois (17-7) after a late inning rally from the Huskies. Bryden tossed six and a third innings as she was handed the loss against NIU but struck out 11 batters making it the second consecutive start in which she has recorded 10 or more strikeouts.

Lindsay Thomas (Irvine, Calif./Northwood) got things started off in the bottom of the first inning for UNCG when she sent a 2-2 pitch deep over the centerfield fence for a 1-0 UNCG lead.

RMU took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third inning when Kristen Gabelt had an RBI groundout to tie the game. A batter later Ashley Gerhart singled to second base scoring another Colonials run for the on-run lead.

UNCG responded with a four-run bottom half of the inning backed by hits from Danielle Vega (Rialto, Calif./Aquinas), Hagan Kiser (Asheboro, N.C./Southwestern) and McClaskey. The Spartans scored four runs on the three hits and one RMU error.

Robert Morris added a run in the top of the fourth inning on a solo home run by Olivia Lorusso making it a 5-4 ball game. The Colonials added one run in the top of the fourth and a pair in the top of the fifth to tie the game 5-all.

With one out in the top of the sixth Danica Bishop (Irvine, Calif./Nebraska) came in to relieve Alicia Bazonski (Sheffield, Mass./Mount Everett) who tossed five and a third innings allowing five runs, four earned, on ten hits and striking out just one.

Bishop retired her first two faced batters on pop ups and worked a one, two, three top of the seventh inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, McClaskey was hit by a pitch with one out placing UNCG's game-winning run on base. Thomas reached on a fielding error by Stacey Capp and both base runners would advance on a wild pitch so both runners would move into scoring position for Bryden who was pinch hitting for Allison Geiner (Raleigh, N.C./Middle Creek). Bryden hit a line drive just over the second base bag and McClaskey would score without a challenge to score the game-winning run.

Vega went three-for-three in the win while Kiser recorded her second multi-hit game in as many days with a pair of hits and a team-best two RBI. McClaskey was the only other Spartan to have a air of hits as she went two-for-two with one run scored and a RBI.

Bishop (2-1) earned the victory allowing no runs on without any hits in her inning and two thirds in the circle.

Bryden got the nod for the second game of the day and was off to a hot start when she struck out the side after hitting the first batter she faced. She would record two-or-more strikeouts in each of the first four innings and recorded at least one in the first five as she struck out 11 Huskies.

It was a pitchers duel through the first five innings as neither team was able to plate a runner. A leadoff single by Katie Lamich got things started in the top of the sixth inning for NIU. After a sacrifice bunt moved her over, Bryden's day was done as Bishop came in to relieve her.

Emily Naegele doubled to right center but the Spartans were able to escape the inning leaving two Huskies on base to trail 1-0 after five and a half innings.

UNCG was set down in order in the bottom half of the sixth to enter the final inning down one run to NIU. Northern Illinois plated four insurance runs on four hits and a pair of UNCG errors in the top of the seventh to pull ahead 5-0.

Vega gave the Spartans some hope with a one-out single to shortstop in the bottom of the seventh inning but NIU was able to get the final outs on a fielder's choice and a fly out to secure the 5-0 shutout.

Bryden was handed the loss to move to 6-6 overall while Alex Frenz picked up the win for Northern Illinois. McClaskey, Vega and Bryden were the only Spartans to record hits in the three-hit shutout loss.

Vega powered the offense with four hits, a team-best on the day while Hagan Kiser had a team-high two RBI. McClaskey went three-for-five while Bryden also had a multi-hit day with one hit in each contest.

UNCG returns to action for the final day of the Blue/Gold Challenge at 1 p.m. Saturday when the Spartans take on Robert Morris. They will play in the final game of the five-team tournament immediately following as they try to sweet George Washington at 3:30 p.m.

-UNCG-