CLINTON, S.C. – One single swing by senior shortstop Layna Johnson in the bottom of the 4^th frame enabled the Presbyterian College softball squad to properly distance themselves from a pesky IUPUI visiting unit on Friday evening in Clinton, scoring four runs while keeping the ball inside the park to exit a 1-1 tie and eventually claim a 6-3 triumph.

In the first of four meetings this weekend spanning a three-day period, the Blue Hose's first encounter in the Pinnacle PC Invitational proved to be mostly even – especially in the hits department where both sides totaled eight – although a characteristically-brilliant showing by senior twirler Jenna Greene ensured the Jaguars' upset bid fell by the wayside.

Staying undefeated through their first five matchups this year, head coach David Williams' squad closes the book on a hard-fought victory and steps two games closer to equaling the best start to a campaign in school history (established by the 2011 team at 7-0).
 
NOTABLES
- The beneficiary to most of PC's defensive accomplishments in 2023, Greene – the reigning Big South Pitcher of the Week following a nine-strikeout no-hitter in a shutout W over Bellarmine six days back – dropped in 14 more K's on Friday (tied for the second-highest number in the senior's career over a single outing). Already the all-time program leader in that category, the record-breaker has retired 478 batters since 2020, tonight's win representing her 19^th double-digit strikeout performance.

- Carrying over the theme from the majority of last weekend's 4-0 sprint, Presbyterian's offensive depth correlated nicely with their splendid pitching statistics, witnessing a combined 4-of-4 hitting effort by sophomore first-baseman Kendall Owens and designated player Bailey Watkins, along with one walk each.

- Owens, tied for the team lead with seven hits in only 11 at-bats, secured her third double of the year in her second trip to the plate on Friday, one of the quartet of runners to score on Johnson's aforementioned deep single in the 4^th. Sporting a ridiculous .636 average, Owens' white-hot start to her PC tenure has led to a blistering 1.182 slugging percentage and 13 total bases.

- Watkins, meanwhile, has connected on three of her four plate appearances while seeing a gradually-increasing role, stretching the deficit out to 6-2 in the bottom of the 5^th on her second RBI of the young season that brought home Morgan Hess.

- The Blue Hose improved to a record of 64-7 when leading after four innings in the Williams era, completely flipping the trajectory of the game once Johnson turned a stalemate into a commanding lead in one motion. Altogether, nine different players have managed at least one RBI thus far on the year, attributing to 33 total hits.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Seeing the other side strike first for only the second time in '23, junior second-baseman Kaitlyn Tucker made sure the 1-0 advantage was short-lived on a base hit past the Jaguar shortstop that brought Watkins home in the 3^rd. This kicked off a three-inning streak of scores from the Blue Hose, who kept their foot on the gas after the four-run Johnson laser with Watkins' rightfield lob in the 5^th to keep IUPUI at bay.

- Nearly 70% of all outs recorded by Presbyterian came via Greene strikeout, collecting her 41^st personal win, a mark that sits just eight shy of the all-time school record. One of only two pitchers in all of Division I with consecutive complete-game shutouts across opening weekend, Greene turned in another rock-solid effort by only letting two runs slide combined in her 21 innings of work.

- IUPUI's final three outs of the evening came after incorrectly guessing on Greene's exquisite throwing, sending the Blue Hose to their sixth straight home victory dating back to last spring as the fans on hand were able to admire the brand-new lighting system implemented at the PC Softball Complex.
 
UP NEXT
- Sleeping on their 5-0 beginning until they hit the field once again tomorrow (this time, for a pair of outings instead of a loner), Presbyterian will engage in a rematch with IUPUI at approximately 4:45 on Saturday, but not before meeting Seton Hall first at 2:30. PC's battle with the Pirates will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.