Macon, GA- The Wesleyan Wolves softball team welcomed the Hawks of South Georgia State to campus for their fall day of competition splitting the twin bill by final scores of 3-1 and 4-3, winning the night cap in walk off fashion. Sophomore backstop Taylor Laviano led the wolves at the plate with 4 hits in 6 at bats while Sophomore Mckinley Tatum finished with 3 hits in 4 at bats. Sophomore transfer Lizzy Everts contributed 3 hits as well including 2 doubles and drove in a run. Sophomores Ava Fobian and Kyrstin Barnard also contributed multiple hits on the day. 

Game 1: 
Freshman hurler Grace Glowacki got the start for the Wolves and was stellar in her debut. Glowacki tossed the first 5 innings for the Wolves allowing 2 runs, 1 earned, on 7 hits while throwing 72% strikes and not walking a batter. Her defense had her back as the first batter of the game for SGSC hit a ringing double in the gap to end up on third, but was quickly erased by Laviano as she connected with Junior third baseman Sydnee Mcelveen on a back-pick to erase the threat.  

Trailing 2-0 in the fifth, Sophomore Haley Blankenship got the bats going as she led off the inning with a double into the right center gap. Junior transfer Lily Moore would come in to run for Blankenship and after an infield single by Fobian, she would be brought home on a double by Lizzy Everts that would leave runners at 2nd and 3rd for the Wolves with only 1 out. The Wolves rally would end there as the SGSC defense was able to step up and retire the next two Wolves to keep the 2-1 lead. The lefty from Florida Blankenship would come out of the pen for the Wolves in relief of Glowacki and finish the 6th and 7th innings for Wesleyan allowing 1 run on 2 hits and 2 walks across the final two frames. The Wolves didn't go quietly as they had runners on base in both the 6th and 7th frames but couldn't cash in as they left 9 runners on base and dropped game 1 by a final of 3-1. 

Game 2:
Sophomore Amber Searcy would provide the 2nd quality start on the day for the Wolves, tossing the first 4 innings and allowing 1 run on 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out a batter. Searcy dazzled as she pitched to an opponents batting average of .143 getting weak contact from 9 of the 14 batters that put the ball in play. 

The Wolves got on the board early as Senior Katelyn McCord put herself in scoring position with a 1 out double. McElveen would single and move to 2nd on a throw to the plate putting runners at second and third with one away for the Wolves. Sophomore clean up hitter Staesha Campbell came through with a big hit driving in McCord to put the Wolves up 1-0. Unfortunately, that is all Wesleyan would get as Laviano hit one right on the screws to the 1st basemen for out number two and Blankenship followed with a nearly identical ball to the other corner to end the inning with the Wolves up 1-0. 

Searcy and the Wolves defense managed to blank the Hawks in inning 2 as she would retire the Hawks on 6 pitches, but they managed to get to her in the 3rd after a lead off walk and a single put runners on base. Searcy would get a strike out to put runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1 away, but another walk would load the bases. The Wolves just missed getting out of the jam unscathed with an inning ending double play, but Campbell's throw was just late to 1st base allowing SGSC to tie the game at 1. The threat would be squashed as Searcy induced yet another ground ball to Campbell to end the inning. The Wolves would get their lead off hitter on in the 3rd and 4th, but the offense fizzled after the good start and they found themselves going to the top of the 5th with the score tied at 1 a piece. Senior lefty Katelyn McCord entered the circle for the Wolves and after getting into a little trouble by putting the first two runners on base, she made a stellar play on a bunt to get the first out of the inning. With Hawks runners at second and third and only one out, McCord locked in and danced out of trouble. She induced a pop fly to Junior transfer Mackenzy Neill in left field that wasn't deep enough to score the runner from third, and got the next batter to line out to Freshman Madison McRae at second base to end the Hawks threat and preserve the tie. 

A lead off triple and a RBI ground out would give the Hawks a 2-1 lead in the top of the 6th, but they wouldn't have the lead long. A 1 out walk would put Campbell on 1st in the bottom of the 6th to start the rally for the Wolves. A grounder by Laviano moved Campbell to second, and a single to third by Amber Searcy would put the tying run on third. With 2 outs pinch hitter Ava Fobian stepped to the plate and delivered her second hit of the day for the Wolves driving a 3-2 pitch into left field to score Campbell and tie the game back at 2. 

A lead off hit batter would put the go ahead run on first for the Hawks in the top of the 7th, but she was quickly removed on a nice line drive double play at third base by Grace Glowacki to clear the bases. The Hawks wouldn't go quietly as back to back two out singles would put a run on the board giving them a 3-2 advantage before McCord was able to get a pop up to Glowacki to end the inning. 

With the Wolves down 3-2 in the bottom of the 7th, Head Coach Ryan Bliss brought Kyrie Camarce off the bench to pinch hit and the Freshman laced a single into right field to set the table for Mckinley Tatum and the top of the Wolves lineup. Tatum would collect her third hit on the night with a beautiful bunt single that allowed Camarce to scadaddle all the way to third. Tatum would steal second bringing Grace Glowacki to the plate with Wolves on 2nd and 3rd and 1 out. The Freshman Glowacki delivered her first collegiate hit, driving a ball into the right center gap to score both Camarce and Tatum to give the Wolves the walk off 4-3 victory and split of the series to end an exciting day of college softball.

The only other games to be played this fall season will be the Wolves World Series inter-squad competitions coming up next week. Those games will be available on our  livestream.