Gibson's Walk-Off Double Lifts Softball to Split with Anderson

MARS HILL, N.C. - A walk-off double from Brittany Gibson allowed the Mars Hill softball team to earn a split against Anderson, capping a wild South Atlantic Conference doubleheader on Thursday. Mars Hill dropped the opener, 14-11, but won the second game 9-8. The Lions are 13-9 overall and 1-3 in the league, Anderson is 21-7 overall and 1-3 in conference play.

Game 1: Anderson 14, Mars Hill 11

An eight-run sixth inning for Anderson erased an 8-5 deficit as the Trojans gave Mars Hill their first home loss of the season.

Mars Hill got on the board with a pair of runs in the first inning. Shaundee Woosley reached on a leadoff single and advanced to second on a Cori Dew walk before Robyn Stanek singled to load the bases. Jamie Hockaday walked to score Woosley, with a Trojan error allowing Dew to score. A pair of strikeouts left the bases loaded.

The Lions added three runs in the second inning as Trojan starter Katelyn Howser issued a bases-loaded walk that allowed Woosley to score. Jamie Booze drove in a pair of runs with a double to left-center field for a 5-0 Mars Hill lead.

A leadoff home run from Rebecca Martin got Anderson on the board in the third inning. The Trojans added a run on an Abby Child single, with Danielle Swygert tying the game with a three-run home run.

Mars Hill put up three runs in the third inning, all via the longball. Erin Vickery hit her second home run of the season to start the inning, followed by a two-run blast from Dew for an 8-5 Lion lead.

The Trojans did all of their damage in the sixth inning with two outs. Martin led off the inning with a single and scored on a Jessica Neidigh two-run home run. Molly Child followed Neidigh with a home run, with a pair of walks and a hit batter loading the bases. Courtney Czentnar singled to bring home two runs, with Martin's second base hit of the inning plating a run. Bri Cason and Charlotte Sieber hit consecutive RBI single for a 13-8 Anderson lead.

Mars Hill wasn't done, scoring three runs for the third time in the contest. Booze led off with a double, advancing to third on a wild pitch before scoring on a Vickery single. Lauren Saller and Dew walked to load the bases, with a Stanek single bringing in Vickery. Hockaday worked her second bases-loaded walk of the game to bring in Saller, but Anderson pitcher Augie Pena got Aleshia Peek to fly out to end the inning and leave the bases loaded.

Anderson added a run in the seventh as Molly Child led off the frame with a single, followed by a walk to Abby Child. Molly Child advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a error to give Anderson a 14-11 lead. Booze led off the Mars Hill seventh with a base hit, but two strikeouts and a popout ended the game.

Woosley went three-for-four with three singles and three runs scored. Dew went two-for-three with a single, home run, three runs scored and two RBIs. Booze went three-for-five with two doubles, a single and two RBIs. Stanek went two-for-four with two singles and an RBI. Vickery went two-for-five with a single, home run, two runs scored and two RBIs. Hockaday scored a run and had two RBIs.

Mars Hill left a season-high 13 runners on base, with Anderson stranding eight runners. The two teams combined for 27 hits, 12 of which belong to Mars Hill.

Pena earned her fourth win of the season for Anderson, allowing three runs on five hits with five walks and two strikeouts in 4.2 innings. Allie Carrigan suffered her first defeat of the season for Mars Hill, allowing six runs on five hits with two walks in a third of an inning.

Game 2: Mars Hill 9, Anderson 8

Brittany Gibson's two-run, bases-loaded double with a full count and two outs helped the Lions salvage a split and earn their first SAC win of the 2014 season.

Molly Child reached on a single with one out in the first inning and advanced to third base on an Abby Child single. An illegal pitch from Mars Hill starter Tyler Miles brought Molly Child home to give Anderson a 1-0 lead.

After a double play erased a leadoff walk in the home half of the first, Robyn Stanek singled to left field and advanced to second on a Jamie Hockaday walk. Aleshia Peek doubled to score Stanek, with a Gibson infield single allowing Hockaday to score.

Mars Hill added to their lead in the second inning as Lauren Saller and Shaundee Woosley each reached on Trojan errors. A fielder's choice retired Saller at third before a walk to Stanek loaded the bases. Jamie Hockaday worked her third bases-loaded walk of the afternoon to score Woosley, followed by a walk to Peek that brought home Cori Dew. A strikeout and groundout got Anderson out of the inning with the bases loaded.

Jessica Neidigh led off the Anderson third with a bunt single and scored on a Molly Child double before Child was thrown out by Mars Hill catcher Erin Vickery trying to advance to third base. After a groundout, Rebecca Martin doubled and scored on a Danielle Swygert single.

Anderson tied the game at 4-all in the fifth inning as Molly Child led off with a double and scored on an Abby Child base hit. The Trojans took the lead with a pair of runs in the sixth inning coming on a Charlotte Sieber double and a Molly Child single.

Mars Hill tied the game at six in the bottom half of the inning. Stanek led off with a single but was retired on a fielder's choice that allowed Hockaday to reach. Peek singled to right, followed by an Anderson error that loaded the bases. Gibson worked a walk to bring home Hockaday, with Vickery's sacrifice fly to left field scoring Peek.

Laura Jansky reached on a two-out walk in the Trojan seventh and scored on Bri Cason's two-run home run to left-center for an 8-6 Anderson lead.

Woosley began the Mars Hill rally in the seventh with a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a Dew base hit. Stanek just missed what would have been the game-winning home run, flying out to deep center field but allowing the runners to move up a base. Hockaday singled to score Woosley and cut the Anderson lead to 8-6. Peek worked a bases-loaded walk to bring the Lions to within a run before Lauren Rudesheim struck out Jamie Booze for the second out. Gibson worked a full count before smacking Rudesheim's offering off the center field fence, allowing Hockaday and Dew to score the winning runs.

Gibson went two-for-four with a single, double and four RBIs. Peek went three-for-three with a run scored and two RBIs. Stanek went two-for-four with two singles and a run scored.  Hockaday went one-for-three with three runs scored and two RBIs. Vickery went one-for-two with an RBI, while Woosley scored a pair of runs.

Miles earned her second win of the season, allowing eight runs on 13 hits with three walks and two strikeouts in seven innings. Rudesheim took her fourth loss of the year, allowing nine runs, five earned, on 11 hits with 10 walks and four strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work.

Mars Hill continues SAC play on Saturday, hosting Wingate at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.