GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Mary Baldwin softball team traveled to Greensboro for the first round of the USA South playoffs Thursday afternoon and the Fighting Squirrels rallied for a 4-3 victory over the N.C. Wesleyan's Battling Bishops.The win marked the first tournament victory for MBU as a member of the USA South. The program joined the conference in 2008.

The Bishops took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, but MBU tied the score with a run in the fourth. A leadoff triple from Molly Thompson was followed by a Reagan Frazier single to center, making it a 1-1 ballgame.

The Bishops regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth to go up 3-1 before the Squirrels took over in their final at-bat to take the lead.

Allison Crum started the inning with a double to left center and Hadley May followed with a run-scoring single to center to put the pressure on the Bishops in a one-run game. Trinity Thomas grounded into a force play, but Thomspon came through with a single to put runners on first and second. Frazier then singled up the middle, scoring Thomas to tie the score at 3-3. With runners on the corners, Jenna Dimiceli hit a ball up the middle to score Thompson, giving the Squirrels a 4-3 lead. 

The Bishops used a pair of singles in the bottom of the seventh to put two runners on base with one out, but MBU starting pitcher Emily McCreery worked out of the jam with a pair of ground balls to shortstop Leanna Rankin to preserve the one-run victory,

McCreery pitched a complete game, limiting N.C Wesleyan to seven hits and just one earned run. She struck out two and did not walk a batter.

The Squirrels banged out 13 hits, but left 13 runners on base in the game. Thompson went 3-for-3 on the day with a walk and a triple to lead the offense. Rankin, Crum and Frazier each added two base hits with Crum belting a pair of doubles and Frazier driving in two runs.

MBU will return to action Friday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. to face Greensboro College, the No. 2 seed, in the double-elimination four-team pod. at 2:00 pm.