Pioneer bats come alive in doubleheader sweep of UVA Wise

Pioneer bats come alive in doubleheader sweep of UVA Wise
WISE, Va. --- Tusculum College scored 32 runs with the help of 31 hits in a doubleheader sweep of the University of Virginia's College at Wise on Monday night in Wise, Virginia. TC won the first game 16-1 in five innings, before completing the twinbill sweep with a 16-8 six-inning victory in game two.

Tusculum improves its record to 7-7, while UVA Wise falls to 0-6. The Pioneers are scheduled to return to action on Wednesday when they play host to the University of Mount Olive at Red Edmonds Field. The twinbill is set to begin at noon.

Game 1: Tusculum 16, UVA Wise 1 (5) (Box Score)

The Pioneers smashed four homeruns in a 16-1 rout of the Cavaliers in the first game of the doubleheader. Jenna Restivo left the yard twice, while Brooke Rhodes and Cayla Cecil also had a big fly.

Restivo finished the game with five RBIs off the two homers, while Rhodes tallied two hits in four trips to the plate with a pair of RBIs. Treslyn Reese had two hits and drove in two runs, and Nicole ball had a two RBI doubles. Cecil's homerun was the first of her collegiate career.

In the circle, Rachel Medley and Cecil combined to allow just five Cavalier hits and just one earned run. Medley (3-3) made the start and earned the win with two strikeouts. Emily Kale (0-3) took the loss after pitching all five innings and allowing 10 earned runs and giving up five walks.

Ball put the Pioneers on the board first with an RBI double in the top of the first inning. TC added six runs in the top of the second to take a commanding 7-0 lead. Ball hit her second RBI double in the frame, while Kaytlin Stroinski brought home a pair of runs with a two-bager. Resivo hit her first homer of the game later in the inning, a two-run shot.

TC continued to put the ball in play in the third inning, and added five more runs to their tally to take a 12-0 advantage. Cecil kicked things off with a solo shot before Reese brought home a run on an RBI single. The big blow in the inning came off Resivo's bat when she laced a three-run shot over the left field fence that also scored Reese and Stroinski.

Tusculum put four more runs in the scoring column in the top of the fifth before the mercy rule was induced. Bailey Culler brought home two runs on a single, and she came in to score off Rhodes' two-run homer to right field.

Alix Kruel had two hits in three trips to the plate, while Carolyn Williamson had a hit and reached base via a walk.

The Cavs' lone run came in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by Mindy Combs. Whitney Williams was 2-for-2 at the plate with a run scored.

Game 2: Tusculum 16, UVA Wise 8 (6) (Box Score)

Tusculum recorded a season-high 18 hits to claim a sweep of UVA Wise with a 16-8 victory in the second contest of the doubleheader. TC hit five more homeruns to bring its tally on the day to nine, and Kruel lead the way with three total hits, including a long ball, and four RBIs.

Ball was 3-for-5 in the game with a homer, a double, and three RBIs while scoring four runs, and Williamson was 3-for-4 and drove in two runs. Rhodes and Culler each had two hits including a home run.

Medley picked up her second win of the day in the circle after throwing five and third innings and surrendering just two earned runs off four hits with four strikeouts. The Cavaliers' Kelly Waycaster took the loss after eight earned runs on nine hits in just two innings of work.

After TC went up 1-0 in the top of the first on an RBI groundout by Stroinski, UVA Wise struck four six runs in the bottom half of the frame to take a 6-1 lead. Sarah Beamer had a grand slam in the inning, which chased Pioneer starter Eliza Davis out of the game.

Facing the five run advantage, TC responded with an eight-run top of the second, its highest scoring output in an inning this season. Resivo opened the frame with a solo homerun, her third of the day. Tusculum then loaded the bases and Kruel brought home two runs with a single. Ball then replicated Kruel's performance and put two more runs on the board with a two-RBI single of her own. Ball came home to score on an RBI infield single by Williamson, who then scored on an RBI double by Reese that gave TC a 9-6 lead.

After a surprisingly scoreless third inning, Culler hit a solo homer in the top of the fourth to give TC a four-run advantage. Williamson singled home a run in the top of the fifth to increase Tusculum's lead to 11-6.

UVA Wise got one run back in the bottom half of the fifth. Howver, the Pioneers scored five more runs in the top of the sixth inning on three homeruns and invoked the eight-run mercy rule to end the game an inning early.

Rhodes and Kruel each had a two-run homer in the frame, while Ball had a solo shot. Beamer finished with two hits and five RBIs for the Cavaliers, while Bridget Henzel also had a pair of base knocks and an RBI.