Presbyterian College lost to Gardner-Webb 6-4 in the opening round of the Big South Conference Championship Tournament on May 6. The game, held at Cyrill Stadium in Spartanburg, saw Presbyterian take an early lead but ultimately fall short as Gardner-Webb rallied late.
The matchup was significant as it marked the first postseason meeting between the two teams since 2012. Presbyterian scored four runs in the first inning, highlighted by a three-run home run from senior Blair Darby, who was playing in her hometown. Rookie Cierra Grice added an RBI single for Presbyterian’s fourth run.
Despite securing nine hits over the first three innings and leaving twelve runners on base throughout the game—including five in the final two frames—Presbyterian could not maintain its lead. Gardner-Webb tied the game with a base hit and an RBI triple in the sixth inning before taking control with additional runs late. “PC left all the ducks on the pond with a pop-up to shallow left in the home half of the 6th, a recurring theme throughout the day which prevented them from expanding on their 1st-inning flurry,” according to Presbyterian College.
Gardner-Webb pitcher Alli Stidham threw all seven innings for her team, while Peyton Duncan started for Presbyterian before being relieved by Avery Robinson. Hali Duke earned her fifteenth multi-hit game of her freshman season for Presbyterian, and Morgan Farthing also collected multiple hits.
Presbyterian now awaits its next opponent—the loser of Thursday’s USC Upstate/Radford matchup—in this double-elimination tournament format. The team will play again with its season at stake as it looks to stay alive in conference competition.
