ROCK HILL, S.C. – Ignited by a solo home run from Mallory Fletcher that quickly became contagious over the final three innings of the afternoon's second affair, the Presbyterian College softball team divided one win each against Winthrop on Saturday to begin their fourth Big South set of the year. Falling by a 6-2 clip in the opener, the Blue Hose never bowed their heads and instead opted for an offensive earthquake in the DH's second half, raining down a trio past the fence to defiantly win 7-2.

The seventh time in 2023 that Presbyterian cleared the wall at least twice in the same bout and second occasion that it would happen thrice, Fletcher paved the way for sophomore first-baseman Kendall Owens and catcher Lath Freeman to follow suit and turn what was a two-run hole nearing the bout's end into a five-score W thanks to seven unanswered.

Totaling 15 hits over both skirmishes while saving their biggest blows for the two-parter's conclusion, PC's resurgence with their backs against the wall made head coach David Williams a member of the 100-win club (speaking strictly on his time in Clinton), passing the century mark officially in grand fashion.
 
NOTABLES
- Each of the past three conference series have included one thing in common between them: a dinger from Fletcher, who has assumed the starting rightfielder role as of late and is beginning to blossom as a result. The sophomore has published six of her 11 hits on the year in the limited Big South slate to this point, bringing in four runs against Campbell, Radford, and the Eagles.

- Presbyterian's Game 2 rejuvenation entailed the squad's fourth 7-0 run or better since February, just one off a season-best eight-run uninterrupted explosion over Radford one week ago. Seven of their eight hits in the victory took place across those final three stanzas, piling up a trio of runs in the 5^th and 7^th to run away with the split.

- Inserted into the fray at third base after mostly checking in as a pinch runner / pinch hitter periodically, freshman Morgan Farthing took the opportunity and passed with flying colors on Saturday. The Pennsylvania product organized three runs in the DH and capped off the Game 2 W with a 2-of-3 effort at the plate and the game-tying swing in the top of the 5^th behind her first career double.

- Owens and Fletcher mirrored each other in the split by collecting six combined hits (three each) while both going yard for the third time this season. Those two dingers materialized in the first play of the 5^th and 6^th innings, opening the door for Freeman to deliver the knockout punch in the final chapter that became the third three-run blast by the Blue Hose this semester.

- Second-year pitcher Morgan Hess grabbed the win in what was her ninth complete game of the campaign, clocking her sixth W (a number shared or equaled by all of PC's arms at this point) and first inside Big South terrain. Winthrop was denied even one run in two separate frames while having each base filled, as Hess tossed six straight scoreless innings on her way to preserving the comeback win.
 
GAME 1 – Winthrop (26-15, 8-5) def. Presbyterian (21-15, 2-7) – 6-2
- A largely stoic start to the day's events led to Winthrop's four-run decision, with starter Reese Basinger throwing the entire outing en route to her 15^th personal win of the spring (a mark that is just outside the nation's top 25). Lead-off shortstop Layna Johnson reached base four times in the setback, cracking a pair of hits next to two walks.

- The first of two RBI from Owens brought Presbyterian their first score of the contest after falling behind 3-0, allowing Johnson her 21^st run of 2023 to lead all others on the roster. Hoping for a 6^th-inning flurry with a five-run deficit, leftfielder Rebecca Clark mustered a sacrifice fly to score Farthing, although the Blue Hose couldn't continue the spark in the end.
 
GAME 2 – Presbyterian (22-15, 3-7) def. Winthrop (26-16, 8-6) – 7-2
- The Eagles seemed as if another cruising was in the cards after their second two-run start in a row, although Hess settled into a groove from there, striking out five batters and only letting six hits get through. In both phases where Winthrop was poised for major damage in bases-loaded layouts, the inning came to an abrupt end after Hess provided out #3 with a K.

- Designated player Bailey Watkins was the culprit of the game-tying sequence off Farthing's double that skirted across the leftfield line, not needing to wait until the 6^th to fully take the lead once Kaitlyn Tucker dropped in an RBI-single later on. The junior continued a seven-game streak of reaching base at least once and would secure her 18^th run of the year as part of Freeman's dagger to come.

- Owens' solitary longball in the penultimate stanza sufficiently spread the floodgates for the final jab in the 7^th from Freeman, the senior's fifth HR over her last go-around and 17^th throughout her Blue Hose tenure. Altogether, 13 of PC's 29 home runs have taken place in the 5^th or later, happening six times against fellow Big South opponents.
 
UP NEXT
- The rubber match in the series awaits at the close of the weekend from Terry Field, scheduled for a first pitch time of 1:00 PM. Should Williams gain his 101^st victory as the Blue Hose architect, it will register as the fifth time in the last six encounters getting the better of the Eagles.