CONWAY, S.C. - Presbyterian College softball lost 5-3 to Charleston Southern on Friday afternoon in the Big South Championship to put an end to the 2010 season.  The loss eliminates PC from the double elimination tournament and ends the season at 21-28.  Charleston Southern improves to 30-27-1 and advances in the consolation bracket.

For the second straight day, PC put leadoff hitter Tera Powell on third base with one out.  Contrary to Thursday's outcome, Powell scored on an illegal pitch to give PC a 1-0 lead in the first frame.  However, no other runs would cross as the Blue Hose took a one-run advantage into the bottom of the first. 

Starting pitcher Mary Gordon worked around a leadoff walk to retire the Bucs without a run scoring in the bottom of the first inning.

Charleston Southern made Gordon pay for a leadoff walk in the second inning when Jessica Peters-Brock hit a home run to left field to give the Bucs a 2-1 lead.

In the top of the third inning, PC loaded the bases with one out but a line drive to the shortstop and a called strikeout ended the stanza without a Blue Hose run.

Rachel Parker opened the top of the fourth with a laser single up the middle of the infield.  The designated player was replaced at first base by the flex player, Mary Ellen Morris on the basepaths.  A sacrifice bunt by Morgan Durham was dropped down the third base side.  The third baseman for CSU fielded and threw high to first base.  The ball caromed awkwardly allowing Morris to score on the play and tie the teams at 2-2 while Durham reached third.  After an out was recorded, Mary Gordon grounded to shortstop and Durham headed home on the crack of the bat.  The toss home from the shortstop sailed high as the Blue Hose second baseman slid across the plate.

Gordon's leadoff walk to start the fifth inning, her fifth consecutive inning opening walk, came in to score and tie the game at 3-3 with Megan Hall's triple down the left field line.  CSU took the lead two batters later when Shayla Cullum's grounder to second base brought Hall to score and give the Bucs a 4-3 lead.  A third run of the inning came across when Jana Mathews singled to second base to plate Cullum from second base.  The inning was ended as Matthews was caught trying to advance, 2-4, on the out.

After PC went quietly in the top of the sixth, before Gordon come out to open the sixth inning with a leadoff walk for sixth time in the game.  The walk would be Gordon's last batter as she was replaced by Brittany Howell in the circle.  Gordon left allowing just five runs off three hits.  She was hampered by the six walks and she struck out one batter in her outing.

Gordon re-entered the game as a pinch hitter to start the top of the seventh inning.  The senior worked a leadoff walk as CSU returned the favor for Gordon's walks.  She was replaced at first base by Kala Handy, the pinch runner.  Powell struck out for the first out of the inning, but Miller put a chopper over the third baseman's head to put runners on first and second with one out.  Howell dumped a Texas leaguer into left field which dropped just in front of the left fielder.  Unfortunately for Handy, who was on second base, the ball dropping in made her an easy force target at third base.  She was retired on the 7-5 relay throw for PC's second out of the inning.  Anderson hit a dribbler up the middle which was bobbled by the shortstop for an error to load the bases.  The season ended on Taylor Staten's ground out to third base with the tying run stranded at second base.

The loss put an end to PC's season as Gordon was handed the loss in the circle to close her final season at 8-8.  CSU's Caitlin Allen went the final four innings and earned the win to improve to 7-3. 

The Blue Hose out-hit the Bucs by a 6-3 margin and was the beneficiary of two Buccaneer errors in the field.  However, eight stranded runners for PC were the difference in the game.