HICKORY, N.C. --- The Tusculum University softball team held on in game one as the Pioneers split with Lenoir-Rhyne on Wednesday (Apr. 9) in North Carolina.
Tusculum (34-10, 12-8 SAC) stays on the road, traveling to Emory & Henry for a Saturday (Apr. 12) showdown at 1 p.m. in Virginia.
Game 1: #24 Tusculum 9, Lenoir-Rhyne 8
Danielle Jason went 4-for-5 and Ella Majchrzak finished 3-for-4 at the plate, scoring a combined four runs and driving in three to power the Pioneers to an opening victory over the Bears. Brooke Smith tied the single-game record with three sacrifice bunts.
Jason singled to lead off the game and was bunted over by Smith. She advanced another 60 feet on a groundout. Sammy Jimenez got TU on the board with a single to center, scoring Jason.
LR responded with back-to-back doubles to start the bottom half of the first inning. After a walk and single loaded the bases, a wild pitch was thrown but Jimenez made a great play behind the plate to toss to Megan Ackerman covering home to get the second out.
The Bears took the lead with another RBI double in the second.
Tusculum scored five unearned runs in the third behind three LR errors. Jason led off with a single through the right side. Smith dropped down another bunt as Jason raced to third on the play, scoring on the first error. Ellie Alvarez reached on a miscue but was out on a Jimenez fielder's choice. Abby Hunter singled and advanced to second on an error in the outfield as Jimenez scored from first on the play. Majchrzak belted a two-run homer after Gabi Nicholson's RBI single.
LR cut the deficit to three (6-3) with a solo home run in the home half of the inning.
Nicholson lined a two-out homer over the left field fence as TU regained a four-run advantage in the fifth.
Tusculum tacked on two insurance runs in the seventh inning. Hunter led off with a single to right. With one out, Majchrzak and Ackerman knocked consecutive singles to the outfield with Hunter scoring. Jason legged out an infield single with two outs as Majchrzak came home on the play.
Lenoir-Rhyne launched a pair of home runs in the bottom of the seventh to score five, give TU a one-run victory.
Ackerman (18-5) went the distance, allowing eight runs on 11 hits with two walks and three strikeouts on 105 pitches.
Game 2: Lenoir-Rhyne 17, #24 Tusculum 1 (5 innings)
The Bears used five home runs to down the Pioneers in the nightcap and salvage a sweep. Smith, Alvarez, and Hunter recorded the TU hits, while Jason drew a walk.
Lenoir-Rhyne scored its runs across three innings: eight in the first, four in the second, and five in the third.
Tusculum scored its lone run in the fourth. Addison Hoffner pinch hit and reached on a fielder's choice. Hunter singled to center and both runners advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. Hoffner scored on a Nicholson RBI groundout.
In the circle, the Pioneers used three pitchers. Nyah Vogel (4-1) got the start as Natalie Spaitis entered in relief. Dani Beckham was the most effective, pitching the final 1.2 frames, allowing four hits, one earned run, and three strikeouts.
