CHARLESTON, S.C. – Consecutive hot starts for the Presbyterian College softball team – one that ultimately fizzled out while the other sustained its significance – allowed the Blue Hose a Friday night split against Charleston Southern, dropping the opener by a 5-3 clip before punching back to tie the set with a 6-2 second-half triumph.

Thanks in large part to another robust performance in the pitcher's circle from senior Jenna Greene – her 13^th complete game on nine strikeouts in round two – and a four-score collection in the top of the 2^nd, PC finished the job to close the night in a showing with a similar first act to Game 1, albeit with a much happier ending.

Improving to 5-8 in Big South terrain following a Game 2 effort where they never trailed, the Blue Hose responded extremely well in a contest that felt like a must-win scenario, setting the stage for an uber-intriguing finale on Saturday, scheduled for a noon first pitch.
 
NOTABLES
- In pursuit of a third straight conference victory after throwing back-to-back complete games last weekend at Winthrop, sophomore Morgan Hess did her part to that mission by again never leaving the spotlight during Game 1 and launching a three-run homer in the afternoon's opening inning. She'd later clear the fence again in the final stanza of the DH, a whole two plays after senior catcher Lath Freeman did the same.

- Greene's strikeout tally of nine registered as the 32^nd time in her remarkable career gathering that figure or higher, pitching to 20 batters in a row before the first Buccaneer hit slid through in the 6^th inning of Game 2. Since arriving in Clinton as a newbie in 2020, the North Carolinian has racked up 54 showings of tossing the full bout, picking up personal win #48 as the sun set in Charleston.

- Five different Blue Hose members mustered at least one RBI in the split, with freshman third-baseman Morgan Farthing again providing a huge lift at a position previously unseen from the collegiate rookie. A two-score double right down the middle gave Farthing her sixth and seventh runs batted in this year, snagging her fifth stolen base later in the contest.

- Emerging as Presbyterian's most efficient hitter when speaking strictly of conference play, sophomore rightfielder Mallory Fletcher kept up her hot streak offensively by notching her fourth multi-hit outing of the campaign in Game 2, a feat that she's reached thrice over the past six days.
 
GAME 1 – Charleston Southern (18-24, 7-8) def. Presbyterian (23-16, 4-8) – 5-3
- All eight runs from both sides occurred within the first three chapters of Friday's first encounter, unfortunately for PC due to the fact that the final five of them came from the home squad. Once Hess brought home Freeman and shortstop Layna Johnson in the fifth at-bat of the day, the Bucs settled in and held the visitors off the board the rest of the way.

- Head coach David Williams' club couldn't consistently advance the bases after their initial jolt, saddling Hess with the loss even though only two earned runs were conceded from the second-year stalwart. CSU's Annah Junge picked up her 16^th overall win as PC was held hitless over the final four frames.
 
GAME 2 – Presbyterian (24-16, 5-8) def. Charleston Southern (18-25, 7-9) – 6-2
- The third time gaining a W in Charleston over the past 12 months while also confirming their third straight split when faced with a conference two-parter, Presbyterian never took their foot off the gas on either end of the field to defiantly even the series, letting their 2^nd-inning deluge and Greene's arm do most of the talking.

- Once Farthing put the Blue Hose ahead on the first of what turned into four extra-base swings by her unit, PC capitalized on an infield mishap to push the deficit to a trio before second-baseman Kaitlyn Tucker made it 4-0 on a left-side base hit to wrangle in Rebecca Clark.

- Already with a 14-game on-base streak that devoured the bulk of nonconference action, Tucker continued her quest to equal that mark and perhaps overtake it by landing either a hit or walk (or both) in 10 straight affairs dating back to April 1.

- Greene's lone hiccup in the bottom of the 6^th still wasn't enough for the Buccaneers to make any serious headway in the second clash, especially not after Hess and Freeman's twin dingers in the last inning to provide extra insurance.

- Hess going yard twice on Friday puts her on the doorstep of Blue Hose history with only half of her collegiate stint in the rearview, matching Hope Rogers' school record of 28 home runs. Speaking of record-holders, Greene (already PC's all-time strikeout queen) has now amassed 578 K's over the last four years, 154 more than the second-place number in that category.
 
UP NEXT
- For the second time in as many weeks, Presbyterian will get set for a rubber match inside Big South action in anticipation of tomorrow's series closer. The last time PC approached a Game 3 after splitting the first two outings was a profitable outcome, downing Winthrop last Sunday in a 3-1 defensive slugfest.