Greenwood, SC – Southern Wesleyan kicked off the first day of the Bearcat Classic on February 9.  They led off the evening with their first victory of the season in a 7-4 victory over the Point University Skyhawks.

In the game against the Point University Skyhawks, the Warriors had 10 hits.  Maddie Ward and Becca White led the team with three hits each.  Ward and White were followed by Amber Belk with two hits.  Belk and White led the team with two runs each, and Ward led the team with three RBIs.  Becca White and Michaela Wickham had the only walks of the evening.  Four Warriors had stolen bases in the first victory of the season, and Becca White led the team with three stolen bases in the evening.  Mariah Foxworth started the game for Southern Wesleyan and pitched two innings while allowing two hits and three runs.  Josie Edwards and Hunter Hoskins came in to pitch in relief.

In the loss to the Lander Bearcats, the Warriors had seven hits.  Megan New led the team with two hits.  New was followed by five players with a solo hit in the loss.  Maddie Ward and Makaila Irby both home runs in the loss.  Irby went on to lead the team with two walks.  Lexi Thompson boasted a stolen base in the loss.  Hunter Hoskins started the game for Southern Wesleyan.  Hoskins went five innings and allowed 11 hits.

Game Vitals:

Game One Final: Southern Wesleyan 7, Point 4

Game Two Final: Lander 10, Southern Wesleyan 2

Records: Southern Wesleyan (1-5) Point (2-2) Lander (4-0)

How It Happened

Southern Wesleyan VS Point

The Warriors kicked off the Bearcat Classic against the Point Skyhawks.  Becca White led off the top of the first inning with a single, however was out at second when Riley Herdliska hit into a fielder's choice.  Lexi Thompson then singled to move Herdliska to second base.  Herdliska moved to third when Mikalia Irby reached first on a fielder's choice that took Thompson off the base pads.  Irby stole second to put both runners in scoring position and bring Maddie Ward up to bat.  Maddie Ward hit a single to bring both Irby and Herdliska home and give the Warriors a 2-0 lead.

In the top of the second inning, the Warriors struck again.  Natalie Johnson reached first base on an error by the Skyhawks third basemen and then advanced to second on a single by Amber Belk.  A passed ball allowed Belk to advance to third base and brought Johnson home.  Michaela Wickham walked to put runners at the corners with no outs.  A single by Becca White brought Belk home and moved Wickham to second base.  Riley Herdliska reached first on an error by the left fielder that allowed both White and Wickham to move forward a base.  With the bases loaded, Maddie Ward singled to bring Becca White home and give Southern Wesleyan a 5-0 lead over Point.

Point countered to put three runs up in the bottom of the second inning.  Southern Wesleyan pushed their lead up in the top of the fourth inning.  Becca White led off with a single and then stole second base to come in scoring position.  White was not done on the base pads, as she stole third base to come to within ninety feet of home plate.  Lexi Thompson brought White in on a sacrifice fly to right field to give the Warriors a 6-3 lead.

In the top of the fifth inning, Southern Wesleyan's Amber Belk singled to the shortstop.  Belk went on to steal second.  Michaela Wickham grounded out to short, but Belk was able to move to third on the play.  With Becca White at the plate, a wild pitch brought Belk home to give the Warriors a 7-3 run advantage. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Point took some ground away Southern Wesleyan and made the score 7-4.

Southern Wesleyan VS Lander

Southern Wesleyan started off strong in the top of the first inning.  Maddie Ward led off with the first home run of the season for the Warriors.  Ward was immediately followed by Makalia Irby with a home run to give Southern Wesleyan a 2-0 lead over Lander.  The Bearcats countered in the bottom of the first inning to take a 3-2 lead over the Warriors.  Despite the early lead, Lander won the game in a 10-2 final.

What's Next

With rain on the radar for February 10, Southern Wesleyan will not continue in the Bearcat Classic.  Southern Wesleyan will remain on the road on February 13 as they take on the Claflin Panthers.