By MONTE DUTTON

Saturday’s victory over Charleston Southern put Presbyterian in a tie for first place in the Big South Conference baseball standings for at least a day.

It’s not like the Blue Hose just began the season hot, though they did. When Sunday’s game at Charleston Southern ends, PC will have only three conference games remaining.

As of Saturday night, USC Upstate (30-17, 14-6) and Presbyterian (24-22, 14-6) are a half game ahead of High Point (25-23, 12-5), two games up in the win column but one behind in the loss. PC’s final three-game series, at home against UNC Asheville, is two weekends away.

Only the top four teams qualify for the Big South Championship, May 23-25, in High Point, N.C. Nothing the Blue Hose do between now and then gets them into the NCAA tournament because the Big South bid goes to the tournament winner, which is why the Blue Hose made it in 2021.

By winning the first two games in North Charleston, PC has clinched its own slot in the conference tournament while endangering Charleston Southern’s hold on fourth place. UNC Asheville (8-10) entered Sunday play trailing the Buccaneers (9-8) by a game and a half.

This Blue Hose team is a “never say die” bunch, never more vividly displayed than in Saturday’s 10-7 victory over Charleston Southern, in which they trailed, 5-3, after seven innings.

Six runs in the eighth inning fixed that.

The rally began with an error by CSU second baseman Sam Low that put Jay Wetherington on base. Brody Fahr and Joel Dragoo followed with single, the latter scoring Wetherington.

Noah Lebron grounded to third base. Jake Randolph walked intentionally to load the bases. Jackson Hugus walked to drive in Fahr. Jack Gorman’s sacrifice fly brought in Dragoo. Rhogue Wallace reached on the Bucs’ second error of the inning, again loading the bases. Eli Lazio’s double drove in three. Wetherington, who had started the inning by reaching on Low’s miscue, ended it with a flyout to right. The score was thus 9-5.

Presbyterian added a run in the ninth inning on a Dragoo grounder that drove in Fahr, who had also reached on an error.

Charleston Southern scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning on D Wilder’s two-out double, but L Pringle flied out to end the game.

Wetherington and Gorman led the Blue Hose with two hits apiece. Randolph scored three runs, while Brody Fahr and Wetherington each scored two.

Starter Charlie McDaniel made his record 53^rd start at PC, but it was his successor on the hill, Tristan McGregor (5-3), who got the decision.

The second Charleston Southern pitcher, Evan Truitt (4-3) took a luckless loss. Only one of the eight runs charged Truitt was earned.

PC’s Jake Randolph and CSU’s Dakota Miller homered. He was 2/5 with two runs scored and four driven in.

PC scored in double figures for the 12^th time this season. The Blue Hose have won three straight games and five out of six in the conference.

Take a look at the box here.

While baseball continued its surge, a 3-0 loss at Radford brought down the curtain on a disappointing softball campaign.

Radford’s Morgan Cooper (6-10) allowed only Kendall Owens’ base hit, walks to Owens and Mallory Fletcher, and a hit batter to Morgan Farthing.

First baseman Kari Shedrick was 2/3 for the Highlanders (24-23, 7-11). Emma Yates and Shedrick lined doubles.

Peyton Duncan (3-11) took the loss for the first two innings. Kasey Wolfe and Jenna Greene followed her to the circle.

Presbyterian ended its season 15-36 and 5-13 in the Big South. The Blue Hose dropped 12 of their final 13 games.

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