Shelby Petik and Erin Ruff tied the game with back to back home runs in the sixth, while Abby Allen added a game-winning RBI double in the bottom of the seventh, to lead the Presbyterian College softball team to the 8-7 comeback win over Charleston Southern in game one of a Big South doubleheader Saturday afternoon at the PC Softball Complex in Clinton, S.C.
The Blue Hose improve to 19-17 overall and 8-6 in the Big South, while the Bucs drop to 27-21, 9-7.
Trailing 7-5 heading to the bottom of the sixth, Petik hit a two-out home run to left, her fifth of the year, to make it a one-run game. Ruff, with her sixth home run of the season, tied the game up the next at-bat with a shot to right.
After a 1-2-3 inning for CSU in the seventh, Hope Rogers led off the bottom of the frame, with a single up the middle. A sacrifice bunt put her on second with Allen's double bringing her home off the game-ending double to right.
Charleston Southern recorded three runs each in the first and second innings, two coming off a double by Stevi Johnson in the first, and three coming from Marci Christian's home run in the second as the Bucs took a 6-1 lead heading to the bottom of the third.
With one out in the bottom of the third, PC rattled off three straight singles to load the bases. After a PC fly out to left, Rogers stepped to the plate and laced a three-RBI double to make it 6-4. Erin Taylor's RBI double the same inning cut CSU's lead to one, 6-5.
CSU added a run in the top of the fifth to make it 7-5, leading to the PC rally in the sixth and seventh innings.
Leading the Blue Hose offensively was Petik, who was a perfect four-for-four with a RBI and two runs scored. Ruff and Rogers were each three-for-four, with Rogers coming away with a team-leading three RBI. As a team the Blue Hose belted 13 hits and committed just one error.
Katie Brown (3-0) picked up the win, going 5.1 innings and surrendering just one earned run off three hits.
Jennifer Giles earned the loss for CSU (11-12), going 3.1 innings and giving up six earned runs off nine hits.
Amanda Matsumoto and Christian led CSU with two hits, with Christian leading in RBI with four. The Bucs finished with seven hits and recorded one error.
