ANDERSON, S.C. - The 23rd-ranked Anderson University softball team rallied twice to sweep a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader with preseason league favorite Wingate, 3-2 and 6-5, Saturday afternoon at Smethers Field.

Anderson improved to 25-7 overall and 8-2 in league play with its 10th win in 12 outings, while stretching its home win streak to 16 straight. The Trojans have won eight of the last 11 matchups with Wingate, which slipped to 17-13 overall and 6-4 in the conference.

Game #1
Anderson 3, Wingate 2
Freshman Carli Hurtado was 2-for-3 with a pair of infield singles in the opener, while junior Molly Child was 2-for-4 with a single and a home run. Senior Jessica Neidigh added the game-winning single to drive in fellow senior Rebecca Martin with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Sophomore Lauren Rudesheim improved to 9-4 on the season by limiting the Bulldogs to two runs (one earned) on seven hits over seven full innings of work. The right-hander struck out six and walked five.

The Bulldogs' Alexis Burrell snapped a scoreless tie with her ninth home run of the season with one out in the top of the fourth inning, while Child answered for the Trojans with her fourth round-tripper of the year with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning to even the score at 1-1.

Sophomore Courtney Czentnar led off the decisive sixth inning with a single back up the middle, with Martin following with an infield single. Czentnar came all the way around to score the tying run on a throwing error in an attempt to get Martin, while Martin moved to second. One out later, Hurtado beat out an infield single, then Neidigh laced a single up the middle to plate Martin with the eventual winning run.

With AU holding a 3-1 lead, the Bulldogs took advantage of two fielder's choices, an error and a pair of walks to trim the Trojan lead to one and had the tying run on third and the go-ahead run at second with two outs when Rudesheim retired the final Bulldog batter on strikes to preserve the win.

Game #2
Anderson 6, Wingate 5 (8 innings)
Child was 1-for-3 in the nightcap, including a walk-off game-winning single with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning. She also walked twice. Neidigh was 3-for-4 with a double and a pair of singles and scored twice, while extending her hitting streak to 12 games. Freshman Cailah Niles added two singles and three RBI, while senior Bri Cason posted a double and a single. Czentnar stretched her hitting streak to 10 games by ripping a pair of singles and crossed the plate once, with freshman Rachael Barefield adding two singles.

Freshman Chelsea Jones (9-2) went the full eight innings, while allowing five runs (two earned) on nine hits. She struck out seven and walked three.

Anderson claimed the dramatic come-from-behind win, for their third extra-inning victory of the season.

The Trojans jumped on top early with two runs in the bottom of the first inning, with Wingate climbing within 2-1 on the strength of an unearned run in the third inning. The Bulldogs knotted the score at 2-2 with another unearned run in the fifth inning, while AU countered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth frame on Niles' two-run single up the middle.

Wingate evened the score in the top of the seventh frame on Burrell's second homer of the afternoon over the right-field fence and jumped ahead, 5-4, with an unearned run in the top of the eighth inning.

Barefield was placed on second to begin the bottom of the eighth inning, move to third on a passed ball and raced home with the tying run on Neidigh's sacrifice to left field. With Hurtado on second, Child ripped a single to center field to score the freshman and cap the rally.

The Trojans open a six-game road swing on Tuesday at Tusculum, with first-pitch slated for 2 p.m. in Greeneville, Tenn.