Central, SC – Southern Wesleyan swept the UVA Wise Cavaliers in their home opener on Friday afternoon.  The Warriors took the first game of the series in a walk-off 3-2 final and then took game two in a 10-4 final score.

The Warriors picked up seven hits in game one.  Talissa Cannady led the team with two of the hits.  Jaelyn Montfort had a double during the game.  The lone RBI came off the bat of Montfort.  Southern Wesleyan walked four times with freshman Kori Rominger leading the team with two.  Cannady picked up her first stolen base of the season.  Andi Grae Wingate started on the mound for the Warriors in game one and struck out two batters over six innings pitched.  Jaelyn Montfort came in to pitch in relief and got the win.

Southern Wesleyan continued to impress on the offense in game two as they walked away with 12 hits.  Three Warriors had two hits on the day.  Sarah Prater hit the first home run of the 2023 season.  Autumn Barnhardt doubled twice with both Addi Johnson and Emmy Copeland picking up solo doubles.  Prater went on to lead the team with three of the nine RBIs.  Southern Wesleyan walked twice, and three Warriors stole bases in the game two victory.  Barnhardt started on the mound for the Warriors and pitched 4.2 innings while striking out one batter.  Emma Jo Wolfe came in to pitch in relief and struck out two over 2.1 innings pitched.
 


 
Game Vitals

Game One Final: Southern Wesleyan 3, UVA Wise 2

Game Two Final: Southern Wesleyan 10, UVA Wise 4

Records: Southern Wesleyan (2-0) UVA Wise (0-2)
 
 


 
Coach Ardeeser says….

"Those were two hard fought culture defining wins.  This season is all about building something up and creating a family environment.  I could not be happier with our effort and energy.  Proud of my coaching staff and the scouting and hours of practice that went into this season so far.  Go Warriors!"



 
 
How It Happened

Game One
The Cavaliers took the first runs of game one as a triple and sacrifice fly allowed two runs to cross home plate.

Southern Wesleyan began to chip away at the lead in the bottom of the third inning.  Kori Rominger led off with a walk, and then advanced to second base on a passed ball.  With two outs and Rominger in scoring position, Ryanne Yarborough reached on an error that also allowed Rominger to come in and score.

The game was in a standoff until the bottom of the seventh inning.  Talissa Cannady led off with a single down the left field line.  Ryanne Yarborough walked to put two on with no outs.  Andi Grae Wingate came up to the plate and knocked a double to deep left center to bring Cannady in and allow the Warriors to tie the game up 2-2.

The Warriors continued to fight in the bottom of the eighth inning.  With Madison Keefer on second base, Emmy Copeland laid down a sacrifice bunt to allow her to advance to third base.  A wild pitch then allowed Keefer to come in to score and give the Warriors a 3-2 victory.


 
Game Two
UVA Wise struck in the top of the third as a single allowed Brie Frazier to come in to score to give the Cavaliers a 1-0 run advantage.

The Warriors fought back in the bottom of the third.  With one out, Kori Rominger singled to center field.  A single through the right side by Addi Johnson allowed Rominger to advance to second.  Talissa Cannady followed with a single to right field to bring Rominger in and tie the game up.  With runners on the corners, Johnson and Cannady each stole bases to allow the Warriors to take the lead.  With two out and Cannady on third, Andi Grae Wingate singled to center field to drive in the third run of the inning and put Southern Wesleyan ahead 3-1.

The Cavaliers countered in the top of the fourth as a wild pitch allowed Megan Wilson to score and cut the Warriors lead down to one run.

Autumn Barnhardt kicked off the bottom of the fourth inning with a double to left center field.  A wild pitch then allowed Barnhardt to advance to third base.  Madison Keefer ground out to short stop, but Barnhardt was allowed to come in to score on the play to extend the Warriors lead to 4-2.  The Warriors were not done for the inning as Emmy Copeland doubled down the right field line.  An error by the third baseman then allowed Kori Rominger to reach first.  With two runners on, Addi Johnson doubled to right center field to bring Copeland home.  Talissa Cannady followed with a ground out that brought Rominger in to put the Warriors ahead 6-2.

UVA Wise brought two more runs in to score in the top of the fifth inning.

The Warriors extended their lead further in the bottom of the fifth inning.  Andi Grae Wingate led off with a single.  With one out, Autumn Barnhardt doubled down the right field line to advance Wingate to third base.  A single by Madison Keefer allowed Wingate to come in to score.  With one out, Sarah Prater drilled a home run down the left field line to drive in the final three runs of the game and give Southern Wesleyan a 10-4 game two victory.
 


 
What's Next

Southern Wesleyan will hit the road on February 4 as they travel to Newberry, SC to take on the Newberry Wolves at 1 and 3 p.m.  The Warriors will then return home on February 9 as they host the Limestone Saints at 2 and 4:30. Southern Wesleyan will take part in the Anderson University Tournament on February 10 and 11 where they will face both Anderson University and LeMoyne-Owen College.