SALISBURY, Md. – The second game of Thursday's doubleheader between the second-ranked Salisbury University softball team and the Lynchburg Hornets, which was suspended in the top of the seventh inning due to darkness, has been declared an official game with the Sea Gulls winning 6-5.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Hornets struck early as Sarah Watts belted a two-run home run to put the visitors on top in the first inning.
• The Sea Gulls got one run back in the second. Emily Challender led off with a double and Ellen Stockman bunted her way on to put runners on the corners. Emily Stockman came up next and singled Challender home to get SU within 2-1.
• The teams traded three-spots in the third inning. Lynchburg got its trio of runs on a Kaleigh Hackett RBI bunt single, Haley Martin sac fly, and Madison Barnes RBI double that pushed the Hornet advantage to 5-1.
• In the home third, Meghan Reed belted a solo home run to put a charge in the Sea Gull lineup. Natalie Paoli singled and Lauren Meyers doubled her home, then after pinch-runner Camille Jones stole third, Challender brought her in on a bunt single to get it back to 5-4.
• Salisbury took its first lead in the fourth. Abby Mace walked, stole second, and took third on a groundout, then Reed singled her home to tie the game. After pinch-runner Anna Hopkins stole her way to second, Meyers brought her in with an RBI base-knock to make it 6-5 SU.
• The teams put up zeroes in the fifth and sixth and Lynchburg began batting in the top of the seventh, loading the bases with two out before the suspension. Since the game already became official by the middle of the fifth, it was declared finished from the moment of suspension.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Lauren Meyers drove in the game-winning run with a single in the fourth; she went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.
• Meghan Reed finished 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.
• Emily Challender batted 2-for-2 with a double, RBI, and run scored.
• Isabella Purdy (3-0) earned the win in relief with 3.2 scoreless innings. Purdy allowed three hits with two walks and struck out five.
• Madison Taylor tossed three innings in her start, giving up five runs on nine hits.

LYNCHBURG GAME NOTES

• Sarah Watts batted 2-for-4 with a homer, two runs, and two RBIs to lead the Hornets.
• Madison Barnes finished 3-for-3 with an RBI.
• Logan Curtis (0-2) took the loss after giving up the go-ahead run in the fourth, the only tally she surrendered over three innings of work.
• Emily Charlton gave up three runs on five hits in a two-inning start.

UP NEXT

• The Sea Gulls resume play at the Margie Knight Softball Classic pres. by Crown Sports Center on Saturday with tilts against TCNJ at 1:15 p.m. and Carnegie Mellon at 3:30 p.m.

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Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 197 conference championships, and 45 Academic All-Americans.

To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.