CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Charleston Southern softball team earned a split of a conference double-header with a 7-4 victory over Gardner-Webb in the final game of the weekend series at Buccaneer Field Saturday, April 23. Earlier in the day, GWU completed a 3-2 win that was started Friday and followed it with a 1-0 victory over the Buccaneers.

CSU is now 22-30, 8-7 in Big South play following the doubleheader split. The Bucs are tied with Presbyterian for third place in the Big South with three games to go. Gardner-Webb holds a 13-24 record with a 5-10 Big South mark after winning two out of three in Charleston.

Game one of Saturday's doubleheader was a pitchers' battle, with the teams combining for just one run and eight hits. The one run was a solo homer off the bat of Gardner-Webb's McKenzie Morenus in the fourth inning, which gave GWU the winning 1-0 score.

Kimberly Hobbs (12-12) pitched a three-hitter, her career low for hits given up in a complete game, striking out six while allowing just one run. Cindy Boomhower earned the win with six innings of shutout softball, giving up five hits while striking out five. Jessica Childers registered the save with a hitless seventh inning.

Five Buccaneers registered hits in Saturday's first game in Erin Kegley, Jessica Brock, Trea Steele, Hayes Holdsworth and Ari Tedesco.

Morenus hit a home run in the fourth inning for the only run in the game, and GWU's Lindsea Hutchinson and Rachel Jablonski added base hits.

The Buccaneers left a total of 10 runners on base in game one, with the second inning being the only frame with no stranded base runners.

Hobbs worked efficiently in the first three innings, allowing no hits the first time through the GWU batting order.

Boomhower encountered trouble in the third inning, as she hit Kristin Kelleher and walked Megan Lombard. Pinch runner Lizzy Olmstead then moved to third as Kegley flied out to right. Lombard advanced to second on a Brock groundout, putting runners on second and third before Jana Matthews struck out to end the threat.

Morenus went deep in the top of the fourth inning, sending the ball over the left field fence for a 1-0 Runnin' Bulldogs lead with one out. Hobbs retired the next two batters, leaving the score at 1-0.

The Buccaneers had a first-and-third situation going after singles by Steele and Tedesco in the fourth, but Boomhower induced a groundout to quell the rally.

Hobbs continued to put zeros on the scoreboard, giving the Bucs a chance to come back. CSU threatened to score in the bottom of the sixth when Steele walked and Holdsworth added a one-out base hit. A groundout sent the pair to second and third, respectively, but a flyout ended the inning.

The Buccaneers received one base runner in the seventh, but could not find the tying run, falling, 1-0.

Game One Box Score

Charleston Southern trailed 3-1 going into the bottom of the sixth inning of Saturday's second game, but a six-run sixth inning put CSU on top for good in a 7-4 victory.

Morgan Dowdy pitched the first four and one-thirds innings, yielding three runs on seven hits. Hobbs (13-12) earned the win by pitching the remainder of the contest. Boomhower was replaced by Childers in the top of the sixth, and Childers (8-10) drew the loss by allowing four runs on two hits in one-third of an inning.

Kegley posted a career-high-tying three hits, going 3-for-3. Lombard batted 2-for-3 with one RBI. Kelleher hit her first home run of the season, a two-run shot, to give CSU a 7-3 lead in the sixth. Melissa Adams drove in one run and scored once.

Samantha Meenaghan led GWU's 11-hit performance with a 3-for-4 outing, scoring one run. McKenzie Morenus and Kelsey Witter both recorded two hits, with Morenus registering two RBI. Witter and Morgan Baker each doubled.

The Buccaneers faced a 3-1 deficit heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, and had recorded just four hits up to that point. The offense exploded in the sixth with six runs on four hits. Kegley and Lombard singled off of Boomhower to open the inning.

Childers then came on in relief of Boomhower. A sacrifice bunt by Brock moved the runners to second and third. CSU runs on two wild pitches by Childers tied the game at 3-3. Adams slashed a single into left, plating Holdsworth for a 4-3 lead. Matthews scored on Childers' third wild pitch, and Kelleher provided insurance with a two-run homer to right, making the score 7-3.

Gardner-Webb scored one run on an RBI double by Baker in the seventh, but Lindsea Hutchinson struck out looking to end the game and CSU finished the 7-4 victory.

CSU struck early, scoring a run in the first inning. Tedesco, Kegley and Lombard hit three straight singles, with Lombard's base hit scoring Tedesco. Boomhower then walked Brock to load the bases with one out, but retired the final two batters to keep it to a 1-0 deficit.

The Bucs held their slim 1-0 lead until the top of the fifth inning. Witter doubled, and scored on a squeeze play by Melinda Dulkowski to tie the game. Morenus hit a bases-loaded single to give GWU a 3-1 lead, as Dulkowski and Meenaghan crossed the plate on Morenus' hit.

The home team went in order in the bottom of the fifth, and GWU did likewise in the top of the sixth, setting up CSU's big sixth inning

Game Two Box Score

Game Highlights

CSU will have the next two weeks off from game competition and will have time to study for and take final exams. The Bucs will conclude the regular season Saturday, May 7 and Sunday, May 8 with a home series against Radford. Gardner-Webb will next play host to South Carolina State Wednesday, April 27 at 2 p.m.