RADFORD, Va. – The offense was contagious and the bats kept getting hotter for the Presbyterian College softball team on Friday evening, tying up the Big South's last series at one game apiece versus Radford. Presby was bested 7-1 in the opener, although quickly shaking it off to earn an 8-4 triumph in the nightcap.

Going for 14 hits combined while offering up a six-score 4^th inning during the Game 2 victory, the Blue Hose regained their confidence from a hitting perspective as they downed the Highlanders for the fifth time in the last seven attempts.

The conference series will be settled in less than 24 hours from the Commonwealth State, poised for a noon start tomorrow in the 2024 climax as long as weather conditions stay in fair shape.

 
NOTABLES
 
- Things may not have started particularly swell for the Blue Hose as they wound down their season-ending eight-game road stretch, although the script flipped once Game 2 arrived and PC pieced together their best performance against a divisional opponent this year.

- Leading the charge offensively was junior outfielder Mallory Fletcher, going for two doubles and three hits altogether as she posted a pair of RBI.

- Freshman Kasey Wolfe punctuated Presby's win by launching the squad's first home run in a 10-game span, also scoring Kaitlyn Tucker from first base to reach a five-score advantage.

- That swing allowed the Blue Hose to reach their first six-run inning since February 18 (a mercy-rule beatdown over Morehead State), while their eight runs overall are the team's highest since February 21 in a thriller over Queens in Charlotte.

- Presbyterian put an 11-game losing skid to rest on Friday as seven different players tallied a run. Meanwhile, Wolfe casually gained her fifth complete game of the semester along with her third career longball, the second time that she has pitched a full seven against a Big South adversary.

- Four players clad in garnet went for a multi-hit stat line in the doubleheader: Fletcher, Wolfe, Kelby Goodrum, and Maddi Wood.

 
GAME ONE – RADFORD (23-22, 6-10) def. PRESBYTERIAN (14-35, 4-12) – 7-1
 
- Things were moving along fairly regular until the Highlanders cooked up a four-run sequence in the bottom of the 3^rd, tacking on three more in the 5^th frame to effectively put the opening bout out of reach.

- The first of three runs on the day from Tucker, PC grabbed their lone score in the 6^th with an RBI-single courtesy of Fletcher. By reaching home plate thrice in the two-parter, Tucker has now assumed the highest run-count on the roster (25) to add to her team-high .305 average and .448 OBP.

- Super-senior Jenna Greene was given the start in the circle for the 105^th time in her collegiate career, facing 21 batters in 4.1 innings before being relieved by sophomore Peyton Duncan.

 
GAME TWO – PRESBYTERIAN (15-35, 5-12) def. RADFORD (23-23, 6-11) – 8-4
 
- Radford may have drawn first blood again in the back half of the twinbill, although PC struck back furiously with the aforementioned six-pack in the top of the 4^th.

- Fletcher and shortstop Emma Yanes started the inning with consecutive doubles, paving the way for a run-scoring smack by Wood and a rare two-RBI bunt single from second-year outfielder Morgan Farthing.

- After a wild pitch from the Highlanders' depleted bullpen pushed the deficit to 4-1, Wolfe stepped up to deliver the early dagger and solidify PC's best single inning of the conference portion of the season.

- Not totally out of the woods yet, the home side scooped up the game's next three runs over the 4^th and 5^th stanzas, putting a bit of pressure in Wolfe's direction as the lead now sat at only a deuce.

- However, the three-time Big South Freshman of the Week wouldn't allow the contest to unravel all the way, going up against a grand total of 32 batters and tossing 130 times. She held each of the final eight combatants away from home while walking just two for the whole affair, keeping the lead in check.

- Just to make sure of the W, head coach David Williams' crew gathered two insurance runs in the top of the 7^th. Fletcher notched another RBI with a sacrifice fly that brought in Tucker once again, leading to a bases-loaded walk with senior Jillian Hewes in the spotlight.

 
UP NEXT
 
- Weather permitting, the rubber match between the Scotsmen and Radford is primed for lunchtime on Saturday. A decision is expected to be made in the wee morning hours regarding a possible earlier start, with the threat of rain still looming.

- Stay up-to-date with all gametime announcements on PC's official X handle: @BlueHoseSB.