GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum College softball team shut out visiting Virginia Intermont College in game one, and the Cobras withstood a furious seventh-inning rally by the Pioneers in the nightcap of a split doubleheader on Tuesday's senior night at Red Edmonds Field. Tusculum won game one by a score of 7-0 before Virginia Intermont outlasted the Pioneers 11-10 in the night cap.
Tusculum (17-25) outscored Virginia Intermont (18-25) by a 17-11 margin in the twin-bill as the Cobras held a narrow 20-18 advantage in base knocks after outhitting the Pioneers 14-12 in the night cap. The Pioneers drew 15 walks on the night, including eight free passes in game one, as TC posted a .493 on-base percentage in the twin-bill.
Six Pioneers posted multi-hit nights, as Ashley Burke went 4-for-5 in the doubleheader to pace the TC offense, driving in five runs and drawing a pair of walks. Savannah Ewing tallied three hits as Burke, Shanda Kimbrough and Phlyscia Powell each scored three runs to pace the Pioneers. Kimbrough drew a team-high four walks to lead a group of five Pioneers who earned multiple free passes.
Holli Cadenhead (8-11) pitched a gem in celebration of her senior day, tossing a complete-game shutout in the opener while scattering six hits and striking out five. Erin Searcy made the start in game two, allowing three runs on six hits in three innings of work. Ashley Wilson (0-1) entered in relief, allowing four earned runs on eight base knocks in three and two-thirds innings before Megan Harmon came in to close out the seventh.
Laurel Pace and Rachel Cook led Virginia Intermont with three hits to pace a group of nine Cobras with multi-hit nights. Cook drove in a team-high four runs, including a three-run home run in game two, as three Cobras recorded at least two RBI.
Kristen Dyer (9-9) took both decisions for the Cobras, allowing five runs on five hits while walking four in two and two-thirds innings of work in game one. Dyer allowed three runs in an inning and a third in game two to pick up the victory.
Game One: Tusculum 7, Virginia Intermont 0 (Box Score)
Cadenhead tossed a gem in game one, allowing just four Cobras to reach scoring position en route to her fifth career shutout. Tusculum got on the board early in support of Cadenhead, plating two runs in the first on an RBI single by Powell and a bases-loaded walk by Burke to take an early 2-0 lead.
The Pioneers pushed the lead to 5-0 with three runs in the third, including a two-run double by Burke and an RBI two-bagger by senior Lynnsey Jett. Tusculum then stretched the lead to the final margin of 7-0 in the fifth as Kimbrough and Burke each crossed the plate on a pair of passed balls.
Game Two: Virginia Intermont 11, Tusculum 10 (Box Score)
Virginia Intermont opened the scoring in game two, plating three runs in the third inning to take an early 3-0 lead on Cook's three-run home run over the left centerfield fence. The Pioneers responded with a run in the bottom of the frame, cutting the margin to 3-1 on an RBI single by Ewing that scored pinch-runner Tasha Morrell from second.
The Cobras pushed the lead to 4-1 in the top of the fifth, stretching the margin to three runs on a Pioneer throwing error that allowed Kelli Porter to score from third. Tusculum fought back to take a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth, scoring four runs on four hits and a Cobra error, including a two-run single by Powell, to claim the one-run advantage.
Virginia Intermont then reclaimed the lead in the top of the sixth, plating four runs on an RBI double by Cook and a bases-clearing three-run double by Haley Odle to take an 8-5 advantage. The Cobras widened the margin to 11-5 with three runs in the seventh, stretching the lead to six runs on an RBI single by Pace and a two-run single by Heather Odle.
Tusculum battled back in the bottom of the seventh, cutting the lead to 11-7 on a two-run single by Kimbrough before Burke ripped a triple to center to plate a pair of runs and trim the margin to 11-9 with no outs. Kristin Cantrell then drove in Burke with a ground ball to the right side, cutting the margin to 11-10 before Virginia Intermont's Nikita Belcher forced a pair of fly outs to quell the rally and earn the doubleheader split.
The Pioneers return to the diamond on Thursday when they square off against Newberry College in the first round of the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament in Wingate, N.C. First pitch is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at host Wingate University's softball complex.
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