GREENVILLE, S.C. - UWG Softball dropped the first two games of the Paladin Invitational on Friday, falling 10-9 to Seton Hall before Winthrop defeated the Wolves 6-1 in the afternoon.
West Georgia (5-14) led by five before Seton Hall (2-7) roared back to win a one-run game in the opener. In game two of the weekend, early home runs provided a cushion for Winthrop (8-8) and the Eagles limited UWG to just six hits.
GAME ONE
Seton Hall struck first, using two hits, a walk, and some action on the basepaths to manufacture a pair of runs.
The lead wouldn't last long as Ella Oswalt slugged her sixth home run of the season to cash in two walks earlier in the first to give the Wolves a 3-2 lead. Another walk would put Megan Waites aboard, and she would score on a Madison McDonald double, adding on to the early advantage. Another double, this one from Dixiana Sims, drove in two more runs and sent the game to the second with the Wolves up 6-2.
The Pirates got single runs in the third and the fourth to make it 6-4, and then Oswalt drove in two more with a fourth-inning double, giving the Wolves an 8-4 cushion.
Things flipped quickly again in the next half inning as Seton Hall scored one to make it 8-5, Wolves, and then took the lead on a grand slam. The Pirates would get another run in the sixth to stretch their advantage to two runs for the second time in the game.
West Georgia scored one run in the seventh on an RBI groundout by Megan Waites to get within one and had the tying run on third, but could not push the run across.
Oswalt drove in five of the nine funs for UWG and finished 3-for-4 at the dish. McDonald finished with a pair of doubles and one RBI. Sims also had a pair of RBIs with Waites also recording one.
GAME TWO
Midway trough game two, UWG had just two hits. The Wolves' first real scoring threat came in the fourth after a Delaney Hoyle drew a one-out walk before a Kristen Fowler single moved her to third. UWG couldn't get a clutch two-out hit, stranding both.
Calli Hardison blanked the Eagles for three frames before a home run by Tia Beckham gave Winthrop a 2-0 lead after four.
UWG cut the lead in half in their next half inning as Megan Waites singled home a run to make it 2-1, Winthrop.
The Eagles then slugged another home run in the fifth to make it 4-1, then added two more in the sixth to account for the 6-1 final.
West Georgia had six hits in game two and were led by Waites and Fowler who each had two hits. The other two hits came from Zekylah Boyd and Jadyn Tummins.
Hardison pitched all 6.0 innings and gave up five earned runs and struck out four and allowed just one walk.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- Oswalt's home run was her team-leading sixth home run. She also became the third Wolf this season to drive in five RBIs in a game, joining Jenna Samuel and Madison McDonald.
- UWG's six-run first inning was the third inning this season in which the Wolves have scored six or more runs. It was the first time it has happened in a loss in 2026.
- It marked UWG's sixth one-run game through 18 games this season. UWG is now 2-4 in one-run games.
- Waites went 2-for-4 in game two, which was her 27th career multi-hit game.
