CLINTON, S.C. – Senior shortstop Layna Johnson executed a complete detonation of the Radford Highlanders at the midway point of the Presbyterian College softball team's midweek series, a three-game set that the Blue Hose desperately needed to take at least two wins out of, splitting the final bouts on Thursday afternoon with loads of theatrics on hand. PC battled all the way back from a six-run deficit to win the first half of the DH in a 9-8 pulse-pounder that clinched the series, ending the day on an 11-2 defeat.

Continuing the theme of high drama that began in the previous day's nine-inning marathon, Thursday's duels entailed 37 combined hits next to 30 combined runs. However, none were more exhilarating than Johnson's 6^th-inning grand slam in round one that punctuated an 8-0 Blue Hose scoring flurry and an individual stat line for the ages: 4-4 at the plate beside four runs, four RBI, three stolen bases, and her 13^th career homer that emphatically stole the contest from under Radford's nose.

After matching up with two/thirds of last year's Big South Regular Season champs to open the 2023 league book, Presbyterian settled into their first conference victory of the campaign yesterday that directly led to the series-clincher 24 hours later and their 16^th W of the semester when playing on their home turf.
 
NOTABLES
- Delivering the goods to bring head coach David Williams one win away from the century mark during his five-year tenure in Clinton, Johnson's grand slam put a bow on PC's longest uninterrupted scoring sequence of the year after initially falling behind 7-1, dialing up the homer with three base hits earlier in the day from the team's lead-off batter.

- Named the Big South Offensive Player of the Week on March 20 based on a performance of similar variety away from home, Johnson recorded a new personal-best four hits (a feat that was last accomplished by a PC player during the '22 conference tournament 35 games ago), guiding in her highest number of RBI in a single outing over the past 14 months.

- In Presbyterian's 15-year history of Division I affiliation, a Blue Hose member has garnered four runs on 11 occasions. Three of those instances have been Johnson's doing, including twice in the past three weeks. The Aynor native became the first PC player since 2019 to achieve that figure in a 6-0 shutout of Longwood last spring, duplicating that four-score mark twice as a senior.

- It wasn't just a one-woman show on Thursday, as the six-run revival required assistance from practically everyone in the order. Six blue and white jerseys helped PC reach a 10-hit tally in the improbable comeback, kickstarted by rightfielder Mallory Fletcher's second home run over her past four appearances in the bottom of the 2^nd.

- Not to be outdone by the volcanic eruption of offense behind her, freshman twirler Peyton Duncan held onto the massive victory in 5.1 frames of relief, boosting her personal record to 6-1 next to a team-low 1.95 ERA in 46.2 total innings. The rookie would only let one Radford run slip by in the top of the 7^th, tossing over 100 pitches and remaining an instrumental piece in grinding the Highlanders' then-hot offense to a screeching halt the rest of the way.
 
GAME 2 – Presbyterian (21-13, 2-5) def. Radford (10-22, 1-7) – 9-8
- For the second time in as many days, the visitors seemed as if they had one foot firmly planted on a road victory but were upended in stunning fashion, this time in the form of a slow-burn comeback that boiled over on Johnson's torpedo that sailed right over the 225-ft. marker at the centerfield barrier.

- Immediately getting to work after falling behind early, Fletcher's aforementioned solo homer opened the door for two more runs in the 3^rd (the first off a wild pitch and the next on a Kendall Owens RBI-double to bring home Kaitlyn Tucker) and an additional 5^th inning score on another Highlander miscue.

- Jenna Borkey, Rebecca Clark, and Jillian Hewes were the occupants of the base pads when Johnson stepped up to secure her perfect stat line, getting to that situation on back-to-back singles and a walk. Remarkably, the shortstop's four-run HR answered an earlier grand slam from Radford in the 2^nd that was the main catalyst for the six-run hole in the first place, granting Presbyterian their first win of the year when finishing the 5^th inning at a disadvantage.

- Improving to 5-1 whenever totaling more than one longball in a singular contest, coach Williams' squad earned their seventh win of the year to be decided by a lone run and their third victory on the rare occurrence when the opponent manages to land a homer past the elite pitching trio of Duncan/Morgan Hess/Jenna Greene.
 
GAME 3 – Radford (11-22, 2-7) def. Presbyterian (21-14, 2-6) – 11-2 (6 Innings)
- Faced with consecutive defeats by an equal level of heartbreak from their perspective, the Highlanders' motivated start in the series finale prevented the possibility of a Blue Hose sweep but too late to completely salvage the climaxes of the prior two bouts. A three-run opening stanza and a five-score 4^th pushed a large lead to seven before finding its resting place at nine.

- Greene would throw 3.2 frames in the Game 3 loss after coming oh-so-close to her third career no-hitter the previous day (a contest that saw the senior rebuff 31 consecutive batters before finally conceding a hit in the 9^th of what was a scoreless game at the time).

- Tucker, Owens, third baseman Blair Darby, and pinch-hitter Bailey Watkins were responsible for the offensive connections by a PC crew that had exhausted a high amount of energy for their previous victories, landing a run in the 1^st and 6^th chapters.
 
UP NEXT
- Nine of the remaining 12 games on Presbyterian's schedule will take place outside of Clinton, as the Blue Hose prepare for their lone instance of back-to-back Big South road series to begin eight days from now. A visit to Rock Hill for an in-state clash against Winthrop will bring PC to the halfway point of league action, scheduled for one on Friday and a Saturday two-parter.

- The Eagles begin their own trio against USC Upstate with a 23-14 overall mark, already completing three conference series approaching the set in Spartanburg. Presbyterian pulled out the brooms against Winthrop last year at home, downing their SC neighbor by a combined clip of 14-5.

- Next Friday's first pitch is slated for 4:00 p.m.