Anderson, SC – Southern Wesleyan split the first two games in the Early Bird Tournament on Friday afternoon. They fell to Anderson in game one of the day in a 2-0 final score. The Warriors then took down the Benedict Tigers in a 12-10 final score.
The Warriors picked up three hits in their first game of the day off the bats of Taylor Palfrey, Addi Johnson and Madison Truett. Olivia Haag pitched all six innings for the Warriors and struck out eight batters.
Southern Wesleyan picked up seven hits in their second game. Taylor Palfrey led the team with two hits. Amberly Way had a double and Hannah Truett picked up her first triple of the season. Abby Schreiner had four of the 10 RBIs and picked up her first home run of the season in the form of a grand slam. Truett followed with three RBIs. The Warriors walked nine times and had nine stolen bases. Palfrey picked up four steals on her own. Ella Grace Lawton started on the mound in game two. Autumn Barnhardt, Cassidy Dickson and Jaelyn Montfort came in to pitch in relief. Barnhardt struck out three.
Game Vitals
Game One Final: Anderson 2, Southern Wesleyan 0
Game Two Final: Southern Wesleyan 12, Benedict 10
Records: Southern Wesleyan (6-2) Anderson (2-6) Benedict (0-4)
How It Happened
Game One: Southern Wesleyan vs Anderson
The Trojans put the first run on the board in the second inning as a walk to Luedtke with the bases loaded allowed Hobbs to come in to score. Anderson would not relent as, despite a strong pitching outing by Olivia Haag, they won the game in a 2-0 final score after a home run by Vickery in the fifth inning.
Game Two: Southern Wesleyan vs Benedict
The Tigers attacked quickly as they scored three runs in the top of the first inning.
The Warriors countered in the bottom of the first inning. Taylor Palfrey led off with a single through the left side and then stole both second and third bases. Addi Johnson walked and then stole second base to put two runners in scoring position. With one out, Amberly Way hit a sacrifice fly out to left field to bring Palfrey in to score.
In the top of the second inning a double by Curney and a fly out by Gilbert brought three more runs in to score for Benedict.
Southern Wesleyan pushed on in the bottom of the fourth inning. Talissa Cannady led off with a walk and then stole second. An error on a dropped third strike allowed Hannah Truett to reach first base and ended up allowing Cannady to come in to score. Olivia Haag walked to allow Truett to advance to second. A wild pitch allowed both runners to advance a base. Riley Wilson walked to load up the bases. With one out, Addi Johnson singled up the middle to bring Haag in to score. Abby Schreiner came up to the plate and drilled the ball over the fence for a grand slam to give the Warriors a 7-6 run advantage. With the bases cleared, Amberly Way doubled to center field and then Talissa Cannady walked. Hannah Truett hit a triple to deep right center to bring both Cannady and Way in to score. A wild pitched brought Truett across home plate to extend the Warriors lead to 10-6.
Benedict fought back as they tied the game back up in the top of the fifth inning off a series of hits and a ground out.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Emmy Copeland walked. Chalee Roper pinch ran for Copeland and then stole second base. Taylor Palfrey reached on a throwing error by the third baseman and advanced to second on the error. On the play, Roper came in to score to put the Warriors back on top. Palfrey went on to steal third and then Addi Johnson walked. Johnson went on to advance to second. With one out, Amberly Way hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring Palfrey in to score and give the Warriors a 12-10 run victory.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will continue in the Early Bird Classic on February 10 as they take on the Benedict Tigers at 2pm and the Anderson Trojans at 4pm. They will then return home on February 16 as they host the Georgia College Bobcats. The Warriors will then host Claflin University on February 21.
