Reese's Homer lifts Pioneers to Doubleheader split with Brevard

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Treslyn Reese's three-run homer proved to be the difference in Tusculum College's 3-1 victory over Brevard College in the second game of a South Atlantic Conference softball doubleheader on Wednesday at Red Edmonds Field. The Tornados won the first contest 1-0 in nine innings.

With the Pioneers' fourth-straight SAC doubleheader split, they now sit at 4-4 in the league with a 14-12 overall mark. Brevard's record is now 7-13 overall and 1-7 in the SAC. TC will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Salisbury, North Carolina to take on Catawba College for a twinbill beginning at 1 p.m.

Tornado pitcher Jamie Hrobak registered 13 strikeouts and Paige Atkison drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning in Brevard's 1-0 win over Tusculum.

Hrobak (5-4) went the distance and gave up just three hits en route to the victory. Rachel Medley (5-7) was dealt the loss despite no earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts.

Brooke Rhodes and Carolyn Williamson registered back-to-back singles to open the bottom of the first inning. However, those base knocks were the only hits given up by Hrobak in the scheduled seven innings of play. On the other side, Medley allowed just one Tornado batter into scoring position in the first seven frames.

After neither side could push across a run in the eighth inning, the Tornados advanced their runner that was placed on second base via on the international tie breaker rule to third on a sacrifice bunt to open the ninth. BC loaded the bases on back-to-back fielder's choices, but Deandra Ealey was held at third. Ealey wisely chose not to try and score on a one-out fly ball to right field after a good throw by Cayla Cecil. However, she did come in to score on Atkison's two-out RBI single down the left field line.

Rhodes began the bottom of the ninth on second base, and Williamson laid down a perfect bunt in front of the plate and beat out the throw for a single while Rhodes moved to third. Williamson later stole second, which put two Pioneers in scoring position with no outs. However, Hrobak sat down the next three Tusculum batters down in order to preserve the narrow one-run win.

Eliza Davis threw a three-hitter and Reese gave TC a three-run advantage with her sixth homer of the season as the Pioneers earned a doubleheader split with the Tornados, earning a 3-1 victory.

Davis (8-4) recorded two strikeouts and just one walk in the winning effort. Tornado starter Casey Whitaker took the loss after dishing out five walks and giving up four hits in five innings of work.

Kaytlin Stroinski and Cayla Cecil drew walks in the top of the first inning before Reese smashed a 2-0 pitch right over the centerfield fence to give TC a 3-0 advantage. The Pioneers threatened to extend the lead in the second after Jenna Restivo hit a leadoff double and Williamson and Rhodes reached base on a single and a walk to load the bases. However, Cecil was retired on a groundout to end the frame.

The Tornados got a run back in the top of the fifth. Atkison drew a leadoff walk and then advanced to second on a passed ball. She then came around to score when Lauren Parker's single down the left field line was bobbled by Rhodes when she tried to get the ball back into the infield. Following the run, Parker advanced to third with a stolen base, but Davis got out of the inning when she induced a groundout by Kelsee Grant.

Davis worked around an error in the top of the sixth inning, but started the top of the seventh with a hit-by-pitch to Atkison. She moved into scoring position at second with a sacrifice bunt, and Rhodes recorded the second out of the inning with a nice play on a lineout by Dallas Heaton. Ealey was the final hope at the plate for the Tornados, but she lined the ball right back to Davis to end the game.

Williamson was 3-for-4 at the plate to lead the Pioneers. Whitaker, Parker and Heaton were the only batters to record base hits for BC.