ATHENS, W.Va. --- The Tusculum University softball team came up just short of a sweep at Concord on Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 8), winning game one 5-0 before falling 4-3 in the nightcap.
Tusculum (3-2) makes its home debut this weekend (Feb. 10-11) as the host of the Tusculum Round Robin, featuring Hillsdale and Lees-McRae. The Pioneers will open the event against the Chargers on Friday (Feb. 10) at noon.
Game 1: Tusculum 5, Concord 0
Hannah Hughes went 2-for-3 at the plate, while Sammy Jimenez rocketed her first collegiate home run, a three-score shot to highlight the offensive effort. Both Claire Smeltzer and Alyssa Suits patiently worked a pair of walks each as well.
All five runs for Tusculum were in the first inning off of the starter, who was pulled before recording an out. Katelynn Hodges drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Kallyn Newport drilled a double to left center to switch places with her teammate. Emily Sappington followed with a single back up the middle to score Newport. Smeltzer waited out a walk to bring Jimenez to the plate. She launched a pitch over the right field fence for her first career homer. A new Mountain Lion pitcher net three strikeouts out of the next five batters to close out the frame.
TU came up 60 feet short in the sixth. Suits drew a one-out walk, stole second, and advanced to third on a throwing error. However, the Pioneers were unable to pad the lead.
No Concord player ever reached second safely. Twice the Mountain Lions were thrown out at the second bag on a fielder's choice. CU singled to start the seventh with a single, but Sappington fooled the next three batters into striking out.
Sappington (3-0) pitched her third-straight complete game shutout, the 12th of her career. She fanned 10 batters and walked one, while giving up four singles.
Game 2: Concord 4, Tusculum 3
Smeltzer drove in all three runs for the Pioneers, highlighted by her first homer, but a seventh inning collapse spoiled her heroics. TU also left eight runners on base in the loss.
Newport tripled as the second batter of the contest, followed by Smeltzer's two-out single to left, which allowed her teammate to trot home.
Tusculum had a big opportunity to break the game open in the third frame. Sappington singled to center and Italia Kyle entered to pinch run. Smeltzer hustled out a fielder's choice with Kyle advancing. Jimenez drew a walk to load the bases with one out. The lead runner was thrown out on two consecutive fielder's choices as the Mountain Lions escaped disaster.
Concord had its first runner in scoring position of the day in the fourth inning, but went no further.
Smeltzer's solo blast put the Pioneers up 2-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth.
The Mountain Lions responded with a one-out homer, followed by a walk that came around to score.
Hodges led off the seventh with a single to center. Newport laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance her. Smeltzer took advantage of the runner in scoring position to do just that, scoring her on a RBI single.
A walk followed by four-straight singles foiled the Pioneers' comeback.
Ireland Cavanaugh got the start, going 4.2 innings. In 20 batters faced, she struck out two, walked three, allowed three hits, and two earned runs. Keylon Reynolds finished out the fifth frame with a strikeout, wild pitch, and one hit. Sappington (3-1) threw the final inning and got the result. She relented four hits, two runs, and one walk with two more strikeouts.
