CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Charlotte softball team displayed an amazing offensive effort and picked up a pair of wins against Gardner-Webb in a doubleheader at the D.L. Phillips Complex, Friday evening.

Charlotte (11-7 overall) rallied from behind to win game one 7-3. The Niners defeated the Runnin’ Bulldogs (3-10) 10-2 in five innings in game two.

After trailing 2-1 in the opening game, Charlotte took a 7-2 lead in the fifth inning where it recorded four of its six hits.

Rookie Courtney Carroll led off the inning with a single to right field. Samantha Slade reached on a fielder’s choice and Jessica Plemmons loaded the bases after being hit by a pitch. Briana Gwaltney singled to left field to tie the game 2-2. Gardner-Webb recorded the first out after Chelsea Ingersoll reached on a fielder’s choice and Slade was thrown out at home. The same play occurred on the next at-bat as Lang got to first on a fielder’s choice and Plemmons was out at the plate. But that didn’t stop the Niners’ rally. With two outs, Chelsea Stamey hit a double to right center to bring in two runs, giving Charlotte the 4-2 edge.

But it was Lindsey Holloman that highlighted the rally with her second career homer over the centerfield fence to give Charlotte the 7-2 lead. Ironically, Holloman’s first home run was recorded in 2010 against Gardner-Webb.

The Runnin’ Bulldogs posted a run in the sixth but never threatened Charlotte’s lead. Gardner-Webb finished with ten hits.

Offensively, Charlotte was led by Carroll who was 2-for-3 with a run and RBI. Holloman was 1-for-2 with a run and a game-high three RBIs.

Katie Watkins went the distance and improved to 6-6 in the circle. She finished with a game-high seven strikeouts.

Charlotte didn’t lose an ounce of its momentum in the second game and seized an 8-0 lead off ten hits in the first inning. Gardner-Webb recorded two runs in the second to cut the lead to 8-2 but the 49ers scored two runs in the fifth to end the game. Chelsea Lisikatos led off the inning with a double to left field and would advance to third on a passed ball. Carroll drew a walk and moved to second off a GWU error, allowing Lisikatos to score. Plemmons was the closing act for the Niners and crushed a walk-off double to left center to end the game.

The 49ers tallied 14 hits as six players recorded a multiple hit game. Slade, Plemmons, Gwaltney, Lang, Holloman, and Lisikatos finished with two hits each. Gwaltney recorded a game-high three RBIs.

Lisikatos improved to 4-0 in the circle and finished with a game-leading four strikeouts.

Charlotte returns back to action on Wednesday, March 13 for a doubleheader at Campbell beginning at 4 p.m.