BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Sophomore left fielder
Miriam Duen went 3-for-6 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored for the visiting North Carolina Central University softball team in a 5-1 and 7-4 doubleheader loss at Gardner-Webb University Thursday afternoon.
Senior
Jennifer Allison matched Duen with three hits while senior
Dominique Wilson and freshman
Ava Dolan each collected two hits. The quartet combined for 10 of the Lady Eagles' dozen hits on the day. Wilson pitched all 12 innings for the Lady Eagles and finished with five strikeouts.
NCCU (1-7 Overall) next plays five games at the Winthrop/Adidas Tournament this coming weekend from Friday-Sunday, Feb. 24-26.
GAME ONE: Gardner-Webb 5, N.C. Central 1
The Runnin' Bulldogs broke open a tight 2-1 affair with three runs in the sixth and Gardner-Webb's pitchers held NCCU to just six singles for the opening win.
Sophomore Annamarie Warley gave the hosts the lead for good with a two-run single in the second. Warley finished with two hits.
Duen plated NCCU's lone run in the top of the third to cut the deficit in half. She led off with an infield single and senior
Kim Mobley drove her home a few batters later.
Junior Ashley Wark (2-1) picked up the win, going the first four innings without allowing an earned run.
GAME TWO: Gardner-Webb 7, N.C. Central 4
NCCU had the potential go-ahead run at the plate with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh, but Wark was able to wiggle out of the jam with a groundout to pick up the save and seal the nightcap victory for the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Duen's second RBI-double of the game started NCCU's rally in the seventh and she later scored on a single by Wilson to pull the Lady Eagles within three. Sophomore
Aleyah Evans was then hit by a pitch to load the bases as she represented the tying run. Wark was able to get Allison to groundout to second to survive with her first save.
Wilson drove in two runs and gave the visitors the initial lead with a double in the first that scored Dolan.
A three-run homer in the home half of the first by sophomore Callie Thornton leapfrogged the Runnin' Bulldogs in front.
NCCU was able to get within one run on Duen's first run-producing double in the fourth, but Gardner-Webb (5-10 Overall) scored one in the fifth and three more times in the sixth to increase its advantage to five runs.
Freshman Alia Booth matched Thornton with three RBI.
