BUIES CREEK, N.C. - The Charleston Southern softball team competed in two close ballgames at Campbell Tuesday, March 22, dropping game one, 2-0, and winning by the same score in the second contest. CSU pitchers Kimberly Hobbs and Morgan Dowdy allowed just four hits apiece, with Hobbs striking out a career-high nine batters in the game two win.

The Buccaneers' record stands at 12-17 after the 1-1 showing in Buies Creek, while Campbell is now 15-14 on the season. CSU snapped a six-game winless streak by winning the second game on Tuesday, and ended Campbell's five-game winning skein.

In game one, Katie Woodcock pitched a five-hit shutout for her fifth win of the season, striking out seven. Morgan Dowdy (4-11) allowed two runs on four hits, striking out three in her team-leading seventh complete game of the season.

Megan Lombard led the Bucs with a 2-for-4 performance, hitting her team-high-tying eighth double of the season. Trea Steele hit a triple, while Jana Matthews and Hayes Holdsworth added singles.

Campbell's Lauren Stephan hit two home runs, providing all of the scoring in the opening contest. Jessi Lane and Keeli Michael each registered base hits for the Camels.

The Buccaneers loaded the bases in each of the first two innings of game one, but were unable to push across a run. Lombard led off the game with a single. After a sacrifice bunt by Kelleher, Matthews and Sbardella walked. Woodcock then struck out Trea Steele to end the inning.

A pair of Camels reached base in the bottom of the first, but Dowdy retired the last three batters in a row. CSU then threatened in the top of the second, with Holdsworth and Melanie Stickney getting on base with nobody out. Kelleher walked to load the bases with two outs. Erin Kegley subsequently grounded out to complete the top of the second.

Stephan hit a solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the second inning, putting the Camels ahead with their first hit of the game. Dowdy then got Lane to fly out, ending the second.

Woodcock set the Buccaneers down in order during the third, fourth and fifth innings. Dowdy kept CSU in the ballgame, working through a bases-loaded jam in the third and stranding two base runners in the fourth. The Buccaneer pitcher then fashioned a 1-2-3 fifth, keeping the score at 1-0.

Matthews led off the top of the sixth inning with a single. Pinch hitter Ari Tedesco then lined into a double play to the pitcher. Steele followed with a two-out triple, the first three-base hit of her collegiate career. Holdsworth flied out to right for the third out of the sixth inning.

With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Stephan hit her second home run of the day, building Campbell's lead to 2-0. A flyout by Lane ended the sixth.

Lombard laced a double with two outs in the top of the seventh, looking to start a rally. Woodcock got Kelleher to ground to first to end the game with the Camels on the winning end of a 2-0 score.

Game One Box Score

Game two proved to be a pitchers' duel, similarly to the first contest of the day. Hobbs (8-6) went the distance for her second complete-game shutout as a Buccaneer. She allowed just four hits and struck out a career-high nine batters. Olivia Scarborough (0-2) drew the loss, yielding two runs on eight hits in six innings pitched.

Lombard went 2-for-3, her second straight two-hit game. Courtney Konyk also batted 2-for-3, setting a season high with two singles. Kelleher hit 1-for-1 with a double and two sacrifice bunts. Jana Matthews drove in two runs with a double in the fifth inning, and Erin Kegley hit a double in the first.

Four Camels recorded hits on the day, while Michael, Stephan, and Sarah Forgcas registered steals in game two.

Each team generated scoring chances in the early going, as CSU had a player reach at least second base in each of the first five innings. The Camels used the stolen base to great effect, stealing second once per inning over the first three frames.

Kegley doubled during her first at bat, with two outs in the top of the first. Matthews popped out to center for the third out. Campbell received an early base runner, as Michael walked to lead off the bottom of the first. Stickney threw her out while Michael attempted to steal second. Three Camels walked in the first, but Hobbs struck out McGee to end the threat.

In the second, Holdsworth and Konyk hit back-to-back singles with two outs, but were left on base as the half-inning came to a close.

The Bucs sacrificed a runner to second with one out in both the third and fourth innings, but stranded the runner each time. Hobbs then continued to pitch shutout softball, maintaining the tie score.

CSU broke through in the top of the fifth inning, thanks to a pair of doubles and a hit by pitch. Lombard was hit by a pitch with one out, and Kelleher drove a double to move Lombard to third. Matthews came through with a two-out double, plating Lombard and Kelleher for a 2-0 Buccaneer lead.

Hobbs struck out three batters in the bottom of the fifth, working around a two-out double by Miller. The Bucs recorded a hit in each of the final two innings, but the score stayed fixed at 2-0. CSU's senior pitcher retired the last six batters she faced, striking out a pair in the sixth and forcing three flyouts in the seventh to complete the four-hit shutout.

Game Two Box Score

The Buccaneers return home, and will open an eight-game home stand with a doubleheader Thursday, March 24 against Elon at Buccaneer Field. First pitch for game one on Thursday is set for 2 p.m.