RALEIGH, N.C. -- Meredith College softball picked up a pair of strong wins over the visiting Mary Baldwin Fighting Squirrels in a homestand doubleheader Saturday. Susanne Taylor, Alyssa Drake, and Sarah Gundlach led the Avenging Angels.

Game 1
Gundlach recored a two-hit shutout in game one with nine strikeouts and one walk in 18 batters.

Offensively, Taylor led the charge with a two-RBI homer in the third. Fallon Wimberly registered a one-RBI single, while Savannah Talley and Tatum Smith posted a pair of RBI-doubles in the same stanza. Rachel Johnson singled through the left and scored on Wimberly's hit.

In the bottom of two, Anna Goldman and Smith singled, and Taylor and Drake scored the runners with a pair of hits.

Goldman and Fallon Wimberly recorded two more singles in the fourth but were both left on base.

Game 2
Drake led game two with a single, and Sarah Manis followed with the same. Madison Hamilton moved the runners, and Wimberly scored Drake on a grounder to short to put the Angels on the board.

Meredith's defense relaxed, and Baldwin scored four runs on four hits with benefit of an infield misstep in the third to take a 4-1 lead. Hamilton singled in the bottom of the frame but never rounded second.

Danielle Hunt handled Baldwin in the fourth with a leadoff strikeout and a pair of infield outs. Savannah Talley took one for the team in the bottom of the frame to advance to first, and Taylor moved the runner on a single through the right side. Smith scored Talley on an RBI-single and moved Taylor to second. Brie Caldwell loaded the bases with a walk and forced a Baldwin pitching change.

The change did not stall the Angels, who scored two on an RBI-single from Drake, one from Talley, and Hamilton sacrificed to score the fourth to give MCSB a 6-4 lead heading into the fifth.

Baldwin picked up a run in the fifth with one run on three singles, but the Angels bats continued to rally in the bottom of the stanza to put the visitors away for good.

Talley opened with a single, and Taylor walked. Smith found a gap on the left side to load the bases, and Caldwell scored Talley. Drake came up big with a two-run triple, and Manis scored Drake on the next at-bat as Meredith claimed a 10-4 advantage. With a five-inning game in site, Wimberly scored Manis on a single through the left side. Hamilton failed to hold up at third and was out on the play. Goldman kept the inning alive with a hit to left, but Victoria Lafoon struck out Talley to end the frame with the Angels leading by six.

Gundlach subbed in for Hunt and struck out her first batter. The infield finished off the next two to bring Taylor up to bat for another hit. Smith doubled, advancing to third, but Mia Staggs, who entered to run for Taylor, was caught at home. Caldwell scored Tatum to advance Meredith's lead to seven.

Baldwin managed to drive in one run in the top of seven, but Gundlach closed out the game for the win.

Hunt recorded the win earning three runs on nine hits with four strikeouts and one walk. Gundlach earned one run and struck out two with one walk in two hits. Marybeth Strickland collected her first loss for MBU.

Meredith hosts back-to-back doubleheader play days next weekend beginning with a non-conference series with Methodist Saturday followed by a visit from Christopher Newport, ranked fifth in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll, Sunday afternoon. Follow the live action HERE.

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