GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Chloe Freischmidt belted a grand slam in the first game and went 2-for-4 in the second contest including a walk-off single as Tusculum swept a non-conference doubleheader over Davis & Elkins Sunday afternoon at Red Edmonds Field.
Freischmidt hit her second grand slam in as many days to spark a five-run sixth inning to break a 3-3 tie in Tusculum's 8-3 victory in Sunday's opener. Freischmidt came through again with her two-out bloop single in the night-cap resulting in a 2-1 victory for the Pioneers' fifth straight win. TU's 10-2 record is the best start to a season in recorded school history.
Game 1: Tusculum 8, Davis & Elkins 3
Freischmidt blasted a one-out pitch to the scoreboard in left field for her second grand slam in as many days as the Pioneers prevailed, 8-3 over the Senators.
Anna Alloway went 2-for-4 for Tusculum, while Honesty Holt and Rhetta Persinger had two hits apiece for Davis & Elkins.
Tusculum plated two runs in the second inning and added another in the third for a 3-0 lead. In the second, Freischmidt and Sammie West were hit by pitches. The two moved into scoring position on Bree Whitson's ground out and Kristen Gass hit a two-out, two-run single to put the Pioneers on the scoreboard. In the second inning, Alloway led off with a single and scored on Alexis Grampp's double to centerfield.
The Senators battled back with two runs in the fourth frame and one in the fifth to tie the contest at 3-3.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Pioneers loaded the bases with one out to set the table for Freischmidt, who belted her third home run of the year and second grand slam for a 7-3 lead. Sammie West followed with a triple to right field and scored on Bree Whitson's sacrifice fly.
TU reliever Delilah Malczewski relieved starter Madison Michael in the fifth inning and closed out the game pitching 3.2 innings, while allowing six strikeouts, one run and posted six strikeouts to improve to 2-0 on the year. D&E starter Ryn Boelter (4-2) was tagged with the loss.
Game 2: Tusculum 2, Davis & Elkins 1
Tusculum rallied from an early 1-0 deficit and got Freischmidt's walk-off single for a 2-1 victory over the Senators. TU finished with 10 hits including two hits apiece by the trio of Tori West, Grayson Brown and Freischmidt
TU's Ivee Richeson pitched 2.2 shutout innings with three strikeouts to improve to 4-1 on the season. Tusculum starter Cloee-Anna Merritt pitched well in her 4.1 innings as she scattered three hits, allowed an unearned run with a walk and three strikeouts.
Davis & Elkins starter went the distance as she allowed 10 hits, two runs, one earned, one walk and four strikeouts in her 132-pitch effort.
The Senators took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning, but Tusculum answered with a tally in the bottom of the frame thanks to Brown's double to score Alloway to tie the game.
In the fifth inning, Davis & Elkins had the go ahead run at third base, but second baseman Brittney Franse made and outstanding diving catch in the outfield for the final out of the inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, lead-off batter Alexis Grampp reached on a fielding error. She moved to second on Taylor Johnson's bunt and later advanced to third on a two-out wild pitch. Freischmidt lifted a fly ball to shallow left field which was placed strategically and eluded the diving attempt by D&E's Amy Fincham as Grampp touched the plate with the winning run.
The Pioneers will open South Atlantic Conference play on Tuesday when they travel to league newcomer UVa-Wise for a 2 p.m. doubleheader.
