LYNCHBURG, Va. - Charleston Southern and Liberty split a Big South Conference doubleheader Friday, April 8 at Liberty Softball Field. CSU won game one, 6-2 before Liberty claimed a 9-1 win in six innings during the second contest.

The Buccaneers are now 17-23, 4-3 in Big South play following Friday's results. Liberty is currently 13-17, also holding a 4-3 conference record.

CSU exploded for five runs in the top of the second inning of game one and added one run in the seventh to set the 6-2 score.

Morgan Dowdy went the distance, improving to 7-13 on the season while allowing two runs on six hits. Katrina Johnson drew the loss, falling to 7-5 by allowing five runs, four earned, on two hits in one and two-thirds innings. Tiffani Smith and Alyssa DiMartino combined to pitch the rest of the contest.

Erin Kegley batted 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI to lead CSU. Trea Steele scored two runs, going 1-for-2. Six Buccaneers totaled the Bucs' eight hits.

For Liberty, Sammi Shivock hit a home run and Katie Zavodny added one RBI.

Both teams went scoreless in the first inning. Liberty threatened, as leadoff batter Shivock walked, and advanced to third on two groundouts. Dowdy struck out Ashley Bensinger to end the inning.

CSU jumped ahead in the top of the second with a two-out rally. After two outs, Melissa Adams advanced pinch runner Courtney Konyk to third with a single. Kelleher walked to load the bases. Johnson then hit Lombard and walked Steele, plating the first two CSU runs. Kegley then hit a two-run double to score Kelleher and Lombard. Liberty subsequently brought in Smith to pitch. Steele scored on a passed ball for the 5-0 advantage.

Liberty cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the third inning, as Shivock smashed a solo home run to left with one out. Dowdy retired the final two Lady Flames, leaving the score at 5-1 after three innings.

In the top of the fourth, the Bucs built another rally, as Adams walked to lead off the inning. Kelleher moved Adams to second on a sacrifice bunt. Lombard reached on a throwing error and moved to second on a groundout. Kegley lined a shot into the glove of first baseman Meredith Crisante, and the score remained 5-1 in CSU's favor.

The Lady Flames trimmed the deficit to three runs at 5-2 by posting one run in the bottom of the fourth. Zavodny lined a single to right field to score Bensinger with one out. Zavodny stole second with two outs, but Dowdy quelled the rally by getting DePasquale to line out to end the fourth.

Following a scoreless top half of the fifth, the Buccaneers received a diving catch from Jana Matthews to rob McMillon of a potential extra-base hit. A lineout ended the 1-2-3 half-inning for the Lady Flames.

Tedesco led off the sixth with an infield single, and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Adams. The last two Buccaneers went in order to end the top half.

Bensinger singled in the bottom of the sixth, but Law lined in to a double play for the first two outs of the inning. With one runner on base, Lombard ranged into the hole to catch a liner off of the bat of West, ending the sixth.

Steele and Kegley recorded back-to-back base hits to open the seventh inning. Matthews reached on a bunt after Liberty failed to cover first base. Brock drove in Steele for a 6-2 edge, still with nobody out. DiMartino minimized the damage in relief, inducing a double play to defuse the CSU momentum.

The Buccaneers turned a double play to end Liberty's chances at a comeback, as Steele stepped on second and threw to Kelleher to seal the 6-2 win.

Box Score Game One

Liberty scored seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings in game two, winning by run-rule, 9-1, over CSU.

Johnson recorded the win for Liberty, improving to 8-5. Kimberly Hobbs' record leveled to 10-10 as the senior went four and a third innings, allowing four runs on six hits. Dowdy yielded the final five runs, two earned.

Kegley batted 2-for-3 for CSU, doubling for the second game in a row. Konyk scored the Bucs' lone run on a Kelleher single.

Strickland went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBI. McMillon also posted a 2-for-3 outing, driving in two. Bensinger hit a grand slam for the Lady Flames.

Kegley doubled with two outs in the top of the first inning, and was left on base at the end of the frame. Shivock reached base on an error to lead off the bottom of the first. She advanced all the way to third, where she was stranded as Hobbs retired the last two Lady Flames to bat.

After a pair of 1-2-3 at bats in the second frame, CSU's half of the third inning ended with a double play.

The Lady Flames took a 2-0 lead on a two-run shot by McMillon with two outs in the bottom of the third. Hobbs struck out two batters for the second inning in a row, but McMillon hit a home run with Zavodny on third base for the first two runs of the contest.

Both pitchers put up zeroes on the scoreboard in the fourth inning. CSU then sliced the deficit in half, to 2-1, with a single run in the top of the fifth. Brock singled to lead off the inning. Pinch runne Konyk advanced to second on a groundout. Tedesco sliced a single to left, moving Konyk to third. Kelleher gave CSU its first run with an RBI single up the middle.

Liberty extended its lead to five in the bottom of the fifth, as Bensinger hit a grand slam with one out for a 6-1 score. After hits by DePasquale and McMillon, Dowdy entered the circle for CSU. She walked Strickland to load the bases, leading to Bensinger's homer. Two Lady Flames groundouts brought the fifth inning to a close.

Johnson worked around a Kegley single in recording three outs in the top of the sixth inning. Bridgett Woods led off the bottom half with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. An error with two outs extended the inning. Strickland ended the game with a double, as all three runners crossed the plate for the 9-1 final in six innings.

Game Two Box Score

Postgame Interview

The two teams will conclude the weekend series Saturday, April 9 with a single game beginning at 1 p.m. at Liberty Softball Field.