GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum College scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to erase a 3-0 deficit and defeat Brevard College 4-3 for a sweep of their South Atlantic Conference softball doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at Red Edmonds Field.
The Pioneers won the opener 5-0 as Erin Searcy tossed a three-hitter for her fifth shutout of the season and Lindsey Umberger hit a three-run double as part of a four-run second inning.
Tusculum (24-9, 5-1 SAC) returns to action Saturday afternoon at Red Edmonds Field against Anderson University, beginning at 1 p.m. Brevard (23-10, 3-3 SAC) hosts Mars Hill in a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Game 1: Tusculum 5, Brevard 0
(Box Score)
Searcy (11-7) walked two and struck out seven in the victory, while the Pioneer offense scored all five runs in the first two innings. Taylor MacDonald finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and Brooklyn Cress was 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Tusculum took a 1-0 lead in the first off Tornado starter Martika Elmore as MacDonald led off with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice, took third on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Ashley Burke.
In the second, Katie Brennan and Paige Sneed drew back-to-back walks with one out and Cress followed with an infield single to load the bases. MacDonald walked on a 3-2 pitch to drive home Brennan and give the Pioneers a 2-0 lead, and one out later Umberger doubled to the fence in left to clear the bases and extend the Pioneer lead to 5-0.
From there, Searcy shut down the Tornados, working around a fifth-inning jam that saw Brevard put runners on first and second with no outs. In the sixth, Umberger shut down a Tornado rally by making a diving stop on a grounder by Kayla Clemens and throwing her out at first by a step.
Elmore (12-6), who entered the game as the SAC leader in strikeouts with 171 in 134 innings, fanned just three Pioneers while walking five and giving up seven hits in six innings of work.
Game 2: Tusculum 4, Brevard 3
(Box Score)
The Tornados scored single runs in the first, second and sixth innings to take a 3-0 lead, but the Pioneers stormed back with four runs in the bottom of the sixth to escape with the win. A two-out, two-run single by Umberger drove home the tying and go-ahead runs.
Brevard took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first off Tusculum starter Elizabeth Johnson on an RBI single by Clemens and added a run in the second on an RBI double by Emily Boykin. Meanwhile, Tornado starter Alyssa Miller escaped from a two-on, two-out jam in the second and got out of a bases-loaded, one-out dilemma in the fourth to keep the Pioneers scoreless.
In the sixth, Brevard scored what seemed to be an insurance run on a two-out RBI double from Becca Curley, but the Pioneers came back with the game-winning rally. Shanda Kimbrough singled to lead off the frame, and Brennan added a one-out single. Pinch-hitter Kristin Cantrell walked to load the bases, and pinch-hitter Ashley Bagley followed with a sacrifice fly to left to cut the Brevard lead to 3-1.
MacDonald singled up the middle to drive home Brennan and pull the Pioneers within 3-2, and Savannah Ewing re-loaded the bases with a single in front of home plate. Umberger then pulled a 3-1 pitch just inside the bag at third to drive home Cantrell and MacDonald and give Tusculum a 4-3 lead. Johnson retired the side on six pitches in the seventh to lock up the win.
Kimbrough went 2-for-2 with a walk and a run scored in game two for the Pioneers, while Ewing was 2-for-4 with a double and Umberger finished 2-for-4 with two runs batted in. Brennan reached base in all three of her plate appearances with a single and two walks.
Johnson (12-2) allowed six hits and three earned runs, with four strikeouts and a walk. Miller fell to 11-4 after surrendering eight hits and four earned runs over six innings, walking four and striking out three.
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