GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University softball team won a pair of identical 2-0 contests over the Mars Hill Lions in South Atlantic Conference action on Saturday afternoon. The series sweep was highlighted by the performance of Emily Sappington in the circle with a program-record 14 strikeouts in game one and the save in the nightcap.

Tusculum (16-13, 3-5 SAC) stays home for another SAC doubleheader, hosting the Catawba Indians on Wednesday, March 23 at 2 p.m.

Game 1: Tusculum 2, Mars Hill 0
Sappington (7-7) went head-to-head in a pitchers' duel with last season's Division II strikeout champion Marissa Adame in game one. Tusculum's left-hander won the battle and upped the program's single-game mark to 14 strikeouts in the process.

The Ashburn, Virginia native struck out the first five batters she faced. Adame broke the streak with a flyout.

Tusculum threatened to score in the bottom of the opening frame. Mya Maddox was hit by the third pitch that came her way and stole second quickly after. She moved up 60 feet on a Kallyn Newport ground out. Hayley Lazo attempted a squeeze play, but Maddox was tagged sliding into home plate.

Sappington was responsible for all three outs in the third as well, surrounding the first hit for Mars Hill.

TU had a pair of runners in scoring position in the third with only one out but failed to capitalize. Kiley Longmire battled through an 11-pitch at bat to collect a single up the middle, the Pioneers' first hit. Maddox bunted down the third base line for a single and advanced on a Mars Hill throwing error. The Pioneers were unable to get the ball out of the infield for the game's first run.

The scoreless tie was broken up in the fifth. Katelynn Hodges drew the game's first walk and stole second. A Maddox single that ricocheted off of the third baseman's glove gave Hodges enough time to scamper home.

Tusculum added an insurance run in the next frame. Lazo drilled a lead-off triple and Chloe Freischmidt doubled her home.

Sappington closed out the opener by striking out two of the last three batters.

Along with her strikeout total, Sappington allowed just three hits and did not relent a walk.

Game 2: Tusculum 2, Mars Hill 0
Ireland Cavanaugh (7-4) followed up with a solid outing in her own right, with Sappington pitching the final inning for her first save of the season. Newport tallied both RBI for the Pioneers in the day's second game.

Mars Hill got a runner to third in the first frame but Lazo caught a foul popup at first base to end the inning.

Once again, Maddox led-off the Pioneers' with a hit by pitch. She stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by the MHU catcher. Newport drove her in unearned on an infield single.

The Lions had two outs in only five pitches before drawing a seven-pitch walk. An infield single put two runners on the base path. The lead runner advanced to third on a throw to first to check her teammate, but a strikeout ended the momentum.

Hodges led off the third with a double on the first pitch thrown. Newport brought her home standing up on a single to left field, giving Tusculum a 2-0 advantage.

Cavanaugh was in deep trouble in the fourth inning. Mars Hill had a one-out triple, but a heads-up defensive play by Longmire to Freischmidt tagged the runner sliding into home.

The Lions were 60 feet away from scoring again in the sixth. A double and sacrifice bunt advanced the runner to third. Mars Hill's next batter drew a 10-pitch walk. With a full-count, the batter in the box fouled off a pitch, but a hustling Madison McGinnis caught the ball in right field.

A lead-off walk by Cavanaugh in the seventh sent Sappington out to the circle to finish off the Lions. She struck out the next two batters and threw four-straight balls to put two runners on base. With the potential winning run at the plate, Sappington struck her out swinging to close out her career day.

Cavanaugh pitched six innings of shutout ball. She allowed four hits, walked four, and struck out a pair of Lions. Sappington notched three more strikeouts in the final inning and relented her only walk of the day to earn the save.