Box Score 1 | Box Score 2  

Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University sophomore shortstop Alexis Burrell (Chesapeake, Va.) hit three homers Thursday afternoon as the Bulldogs split a doubleheader with Pfeiffer University in NCAA Division II softball action. Wingate won the first game 6-0, while the Falcons notched a 5-4 eight-inning victory in the second game. The Bulldogs move to 12-5-1 overall, while Pfeiffer moves to 6-8 on the season.

Game One: Wingate 6, Pfeiffer 0

Burrell had two homers and five RBI to lead the Wingate offense. Senior outfielder Kelsey Maffucci (Rockledge, Fla.) was two-for-four with a triple, RBI and a run scored, while junior infielder Hayley Whitley (Monroe, N.C.) added a pair of hits for the Bulldogs.

Singles from Maffucci and sophomore first baseman Betsy Braswell (Rocky Mount, N.C.) put two on with two outs in the first inning. Burrell cleared the bases with her first homer of the day, giving the ‘Dogs a 3-0 lead.

Burrell crushed one over the scoreboard in left in the third inning, a two-run shot to put Wingate on top by five. Sophomore infielder Brittany Owens (Greenville, N.C.) led off the fourth with a double, then scored on Maffucci’s RBI triple to make the final margin 6-0.

Freshman right-hander Stacey Houser (Mooresville, N.C.) tossed a two-hit shutout to improve to 7-3 on the season. She struck out seven without walking a batter while allowing just two singles. Houser retired the first 12 batters of the game, not giving up a hit until the fifth inning. Lindsey Russell took the loss, falling to 2-4. She allowed six runs on seven hits in four innings of work, striking out one and walking one.

Game Two: Pfeiffer 5, Wingate 4 (8 innings)

Celia Dew went two-for-four with two runs scored to lead the Pfeiffer attack in game two. Deanna Crayton was two-for-three with a run scored, while Khristin Isley added an RBI and a run scored for the Falcons.

Burrell had a homer and two runs scored in game two, while being intentionally walked twice. Whitley was two-for-four with a double and an RBI, while Maffucci was two-for-three with a run scored. Senior outfielder Kasey Pendley (Marion, N.C.) added an RBI for the Bulldogs.

Pfeiffer got on the board first, plating two runs in the third inning. Crayton and Dew reached on one-out singles, while a groundout moved them to second and third with two outs. Crayton scored on an error, while Dew scored on a double steal to give the Falcons a 2-0 lead.

Wingate got on the board in the fourth. Burrell led off the frame with her third homer of the day and seventh of the season to make it 2-1. Senior first baseman Brittany Loudermilt (Stony Point, N.C.) ripped a two-out double to right center, then scored on Pendley’s RBI single to tie it at two.

Crayton led off the fifth with a single. A three-base throwing error would allow a run to score, giving Pfeiffer a 3-2 advantage. Isley added an RBI groundout to push the lead back to two.

Maffucci led off the Wingate fifth with a double, then scored on a wild pitch. After Burrell was intentionally walked, she would come around to score on Whitley’s RBI double to tie the game at four.

That would be all of the scoring until the eighth. Isley was placed on second base via the International Tiebreaker rule, then went to third on a sacrifice. She scored on a sacrifice fly from Jaclyn Boever to give Pfeiffer a 5-4 lead.

Whitley started the bottom of the eighth on second, then went to third on a sacrifice. She would be unable to score, with Pfeiffer reliever Jessica Griffin getting out of the inning by inducing a groundout and popout.

Griffin improved to 1-0 on the year, working a scoreless eighth inning. Sophomore right-hander Miranda Paul (Virginia Beach, Va.) took the loss, falling to 5-2. She allowed five runs (all unearned) on five hits in eight innings of work, striking out four.

Wingate returns to action this weekend, traveling to Spartanburg S.C. for the Mid-South Classic. The Bulldogs take on UVA-Wise and USC Aiken Saturday, while facing Columbus State and North Georgia on Sunday. Pfeiffer returns to action March 5, hosting Barton at 1:30 p.m.