CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Charleston Southern softball team extended its winning streak to four games with a 5-2 win over visiting College of Charleston in game one Wednesday, April 20, 2011. The Cougars then rebounded, holding off a late rally for a 5-3 CofC victory to split the doubleheader.

The games served as CSU's StrikeOut Cancer contests, as the team wore pink jerseys in support of breast cancer awareness. Sharon Adams, the mother of junior outfielder Melissa Adams, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

CSU is now 21-28 after splitting two games with College of Charleston. The Cougars hold a 29-17 record, and won the season series, 3-1, over the Buccaneers.

The Buccaneers scored two runs in the fourth inning of game one to take the lead and added a pair in the fifth for the winning 5-3 margin.

Morgan Dowdy improved to 9-16 on the season, allowing two runs on five hits in four innings. Kimberly Hobbs worked the final three innings for the save, her second of the season. Alexa Datko of College of Charleston drew the loss while yielding five runs on eight hits.

Three Buccaneers recorded two hits apiece in game one. Megan Lombard went 2-for-3 with two doubles, also scoring two runs. Lombard now has a career-high 13 doubles this year. Melanie Stickney batted 2-for-3, registering her second triple of the season. Ari Tedesco hit 2-for-3 as well.

College of Charleston registered seven hits in the first game, led by Carly Corthell and Kristi Woodall with two hits apiece.

The Cougars threatened to score in the second inning, loading the bases with two outs. Dowdy got Katie Nutaitis to fly out to end the rally. Charleston Southern got two runners on base in the bottom of the second before a strikeout closed the inning.

Both teams scored once in the third inning. Lizzy Vaughn doubled with one out, and was plated by a Kelsey Hodgson RBI single for a 1-0 CofC lead.

CSU tallied in the bottom half, as Lombard doubled. Jessica Brock singled, as the ball found its way into left field, driving in Lombard to tie the contest.

After a scoreless top of the fourth by the Cougars, the Buccaneers bats got going, as Trea Steele recorded a one-out single and a Stickney triple gave CSU the lead. Stickney crossed the plate on a chopper by Tedesco, good for a 3-1 edge.

A leadoff single by Corthell in the fifth prompted a pitching change by CSU. Corthell came around to score on a sacrifice fly, as reliever Kimberly Hobbs got out of the inning with CSU still ahead, 3-2.

Kristin Kelleher walked to start the bottom of the fifth, and pinch runner Lizzy Olmstead went to third on Lombard's second double of the game. Jana Matthews then found the gap, driving in both Lombard and Olmstead for a 5-2 advantage.

Hobbs worked around a triple in retiring CofC in the sixth, and held the Cougars off the board in the seventh to get the save in the 5-2 victory.

Game One Box Score

College of Charleston stormed out to a 5-0 lead in game two, thanks in part to a three-run third inning. CSU mounted a rally in the bottom of the seventh, scoring twice, but CofC earned the 5-3 win as Jen Rosene came in to quell the comeback attempt.

Stephanie Saylors posted her 10th win of the season, giving CofC two 10-win pitchers this season. Saylors allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits. Rosene earned her second save of the year, getting the final two outs. Dowdy suffered the loss by yielding three runs on four hits in two innings. Hobbs pitched the final five frames, striking out four and giving up two runs.

Lombard went 2-for-3 for the second game in a row, extending her hitting streak to a team-high 10 games. Steele also batted 2-for-3. Matthews doubled and drove in a run.

Hodgson hit 3-for-4 with a double, while Katie Forbes batted 2-for-4, hitting a home run and driving in two runs. Vaughn scored three runs in the second game.

College of Charleston manufactured its run in the first inning. A walk to Vaughn and a pair of singles filled the bases with Cougars. Katie Pesature plated Vaughn with a sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead.

Saylors retired the first nine CSU batters in order, keeping the Buccaneers at bay early.

The Cougars stretched their lead to 4-0 in the third inning. Vaughn reached on a bunt single, and Forbes followed with a two-run homer. Hobbs then entered the circle in relief of Dowdy. Woodall doubled to drive in CofC's fourth run, scoring Pesature in the process. Hobbs struck out Corthell to end the third.

CofC built its lead to five at 5-0 on an RBI double by Kelsey Hodgson in the top of the fourth inning, but was retired trying to go to third on the play.

Lombard singled to open the bottom of the fourth. She scored on a Matthews double, brining the Bucs to within four at 5-1.

The score remained the same until the late stages of the game. CSU built a rally in the bottom of the sixth inning, receiving singles from Lombard, Erin Kegley and Steele. A popup halted the rally, keeping the score at 5-1.

CSU had the winning run at the plate when the game ended. Hayes Holdsworth walked to lead off the bottom of the seventh. Tedesco and Lombard walked to load the bases with one out. Kegley drew a base on balls to drive in one run. Brock grounded out to second to plate Tedesco, bringing the score to 5-3. Matthews was retired on a groundout to end the game.

Game Two Box Score

Game Highlights

Charleston Southern continues its eight-game home stand with a three-game Big South series against Gardner-Webb. The Buccaneers will play host to Gardner-Webb in a doubleheader Friday, beginning at 2 p.m., and the teams will meet once Saturday. College of Charleston will next play at Western Carolina April 30 at 2 p.m.