MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- Ferrum College's softball team split a pair of games today at the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic in Myrtle Beach. The Panthers opened their spring break with a 4-3 loss to Brenau University, then bounced back with a 4-1 win over the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

RECORDS
Brenau (7-1)
Ferrum (5-3)
Michigan-Dearborn (2-4)

THE BASICS
In the opener, Brenau scored a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning to grab a 4-3 lead, then hung on for the win. Lois Carpenter went 2-2 with an RBI for the Panthers. Against Michigan-Dearborn, Tiffanie Moore doubled in the second inning, advanced to third on a ground out, then scored on a passed ball to get Ferrum on the scoreboard first. Dearborn answered with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the game and force extra innings. Bailey Oakes then blasted a solo shot homer to left-center for the eventual game-winning run in the top of the eighth. Courtney Rudd kept the Wolverines at bay, pitching a complete eight-inning game with 11 strikeouts and no walks. Moore went 3-4 with a double and a run, while Oakes, Cheyenne Strickland and Jordan Hamlett each had a pair of base hits.

NEXT GAMES
Coach Gerald Culler's team will face the same two teams Wednesday, Feb. 28, Michigan-Dearborn at 10:00 a.m. and Brenau at 12:00 p.m. The Panthers will then return home for a USA South doubleheader against Mary Baldwin University Saturday, March 3, at 1:00 p.m.