GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University softball team wrapped up its home round robin on Saturday (Feb. 11), finishing 2-2 at the Red Edmonds Field event.
Tusculum (5-4) makes a short trip to North Greenville on Valentine's Day before it begins a five-series homestand. The Pioneers and Crusaders have set a 1 p.m. first pitch for the doubleheader.
Game 1: Hillsdale 10, Tusculum 2
All four Pioneer hits in game one of the day went for doubles, led by a pair from Chloe Freischmidt. The TU defense coughed up four errors, which proved costly on the scoreboard.
Hillsdale scored a trio in three innings, tallying a single run in the seventh as an extra blow. In the first, the Chargers took advantage of a pair of walks on a three-run homer. The fifth featured five hits, three steals, and an error. Hillsdale plated all three runs in the sixth with no outs. A solo shot in the seventh finalized the score.
Tusculum did its damage in the sixth inning. In her Pioneer debut, Riley Hope led off the frame with a double just inside the right field line. Katelynn Hodges re-entered to run for Hope. With two outs, Claire Smeltzer and Freischmidt launched consecutive knocks to avoid being run-ruled.
Emily Sappington (4-2) got the starting nod and picked up the decision. In 2.2 innings of work, she allowed two runs on two hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Keylon Reynolds pitched a pair of innings in relief, relenting three runs on five hits, two walks, and a strikeout. Makayla Bush threw the remaining 2.1 frames with three strikeouts, four hits, and four runs (two earned).
Game 2: Tusculum 1, Lees-McRae 0
Ireland Cavanaugh (1-1) pitched a scoreless seven innings to her first win of the year, Tusculum's fourth blank slate of the season. Madison Watts had the first multi-hit game of her young career, while Freischmidt knocked in the lone decisive run.
Lees-McRae threatened early in the second inning. A leadoff infield single, a steal and groundout put a runner 60 feet away with two outs. Cavanaugh promptly struck out the batter to end the inning.
Tusculum also had runners in scoring position in the same frame. Alyssa Suits and Watts went back-to-back with singles. Maddie McBride put runners on the corners with fielder's choice to the shortstop, stealing second to put the Bobcats on edge, but to no avail.
The Pioneers executed small-ball in the third to pull ahead. Hodges safely bunted for a single. Kallyn Newport laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance her teammate. Smeltzer grounded out but Hodges hustled over to third. Freischmidt's only hit in game two proved to be the difference, a RBI single through the left side.
TU nearly added insurance in the fourth inning. Watts led off with a single up the middle with Sammy Jimenez pinch running. McBride reached on a fielder's choice in which the Bobcat infield muffed the double-play attempt. The second baseman made an error on the play, a failure to catch the toss, as Jimenez sped along to third. Yet, she went no further.
Cavanaugh tossed five strikeouts to one walk across 91 pitches, with only three Bobcat hits sprinkled in.
