NC Tennessee News

The softball team played their first home games of the 2023 regular season on Tuesday. The team hosted the Columbia International University Lady Rams in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) doubleheader at Athens Regional Park.

Game One:

After two scoreless innings, the Lady Bulldogs broke the game open in the third and fourth innings. Destiny Painter got on base with a single in the third inning. Caroline Moore followed with a single, putting runners on first and second. Loryn Sherwood loaded the bases with a walk and Courtney Sneed kept them loaded with a single scoring Painter. Malyssa Jeter came to the dish and belted a single to right field, bringing home both Moore and Sherwood to make the lead three runs. Sneed gave the team a four-run lead they carried into the fourth, scoring on a Hallie DeArman single.

In the fourth inning, Painter opened the third inning with a single, scoring on a Moore-caused error to give the team a 5-0 lead. Moore ended up on second due to the error. Sneed singled to center field, moving to second on the throw while Moore made it to third. A fielder's choice by Jeter which did not result in an out brought Moore across home plate and Sneed to third base. Sneed scored on a Mackenzie Baldwin single. After the bases became loaded on a Kaley Bradley walk, Emily Mikkola's hit caused an error that allowed Jeter to score, giving the team an 8-0 lead the inning ended with and putting the eight-run mercy rule into effect. The opponents did not score a run in the fifth, ending the game in five innings due to the mercy rule.

Jeter finished the game with three RBIs while Moore, Sneed, Baldwin, and DeArman each had one RBI. Cheyenne Strong pitched all five shutout innings, striking out seven batters while only giving up two hits.

Game Two:

Tennessee Wesleyan took an early lead in the second game, scoring in the first inning. Moore became the first run after a single and an error gave her the leeway to second base. An error on a Taylor Penning hit gave Moore the space to score, giving the Lady Bulldogs a 1-0 lead after the first inning.

In the third inning, TWU plated three more runs. Painter opened with a single and Moore hit a bunt single to get on first. A sacrifice bunt by Taylor Penning moved each runner a base. Sneed put runners on the corners with her single scoring Painter to make the lead 2-0. Sherwood's fly out to left field turned into a sacrifice fly as Moore crossed home plate before the throw made it home. Jeter gave the team one more insurance run as Sneed scored on her single, making the score 4-0. The home team scored two more runs in the fifth inning.

Penning and Sneed each got on base, via a walk and a single. Each moved a base on the next batter's ground out and Penning scored on a Jeter double to right field, leaving Sneed on third. A passed ball gave Sneed space to score, giving the team a 6-0 advantage they went to the end of the game with. The win gave the team the doubleheader sweep.

Jeter finished with two RBIs in the game while Sneed and Sherwood each added one. Bayle Davis picked up the win on the mound, pitching 5.2 shutout innings and striking out seven batters in the process. Madison Stott pitched 1.1 innings of relief.

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