Top-seeded Tusculum College scored the go-ahead run on a double
steal in the bottom of the sixth inning to defeat Lincoln Memorial
University 2-1 in Thursday's opening round of the Food Lion South
Atlantic Conference Softball Tournament, held at Whitley Field on
the campus of Catawba College.
Kelly King tossed a five-hitter to earn the victory for the
Pioneers (31-17), who will play the fifth-seeded host Indians on
Friday at 11:30 a.m. in a winners bracket game. The eighth-seeded
Railsplitters (29-21) are slated to play fourth-seeded
Carson-Newman in an elimination game at 9 a.m. on Friday.
King struck out seven but walked a season-high five for the
Pioneers, allowing just a sixth-inning run that momentarily tied
the game at 1-1. The Pioneers have won her last five starts, with
King earning complete-game wins in four of them.
The decisive run scored in the bottom of the sixth inning, as
Kaytlin Stroinski led off with a double, moved to third on a
fielder's choice and scored on a front end of a double steal with
Lindsey Umberger. King allowed a leadoff single to the
Railsplitters in the seventh, but worked out of trouble by striking
out the last two batters of the game.
Lincoln Memorial had the game's first good scoring opportunity in
the top of the second, loading the bases on two walks and a single.
However, King got leadoff hitter Brianna Mulkey on a line drive to
Stroinski at first to end the inning.
The Railsplitters left runners on first and second in the third,
while the Pioneers stranded a runner at second in the third and at
first in the fourth. Mulkey singled for LMU in the fifth and moved
around to third on a pair of wild pitches, but King fanned Sarah
Walz to end the threat.
Tusculum broke through in the bottom of the fifth against Lincoln
Memorial starter Samantha Smith as Leah Powell and Alix Kruel hit
back-to-back doubles with one out, the latter driving home Powell
with the game's first run.
In the top of the sixth, a walk and a single put runners on first
and second with two outs for Kelly Dreier, who lofted an 0-2 pitch
into shallow left field for a single which brought in Cierra Mudd
with the tying run.
Smith (20-12) allowed five hits and two earned runs for the
Railsplitters over six innings of work, striking out four and
walking a pair. Dreier led all players by going 2-for-3 with an RBI
at the plate for LMU.
Tusculum's five hits came from five different players, through
Stroinski and Kruel each reached by walk in addition to their hits.
Both teams also played errorless ball in the contest.
In Thursday's other games, Catawba defeated Carson-Newman 5-1,
third-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne downed six-seed Mars Hill 6-4 on a
three-run walkoff home run in the bottom of the seventh, and
seventh-seed Wingate upset second-seeded Anderson 4-0.
On Friday, Carson-Newman will play Lincoln Memorial at 9 a.m.
followed by Mars Hill against Anderson at 11:30 a.m. in elimination
games. Lenoir-Rhyne will meet Wingate at 9 a.m. with Tusculum and
Catawba set for 11:30 a.m. in the winners bracket. The SAC
Tournament will continue through Sunday, with the winner earning an
automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Pioneers edge Lincoln Memorial 2-1 in SAC Tournament opener
Posted: Apr 18, 2013
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