SAC Softball Championship Day Two Recaps

No. 8 Lincoln Memorial 9, No. 5 Carson-Newman 5

SALISBURY, N.C.— Danae Reed's two homers led Lincoln Memorial to a 9-5 victory over Carson-Newman in a 2013 Food Lion SAC Softball Tournament elimination game, held Friday at Salisbury Community Park.

Reed hit a grand slam in a big first inning and later added a two-run blast on her way to a six-RBI day for LMU. Kirstin Toole added a two-run homer and picked up the victory in the circle for the Railsplitters. Caitlyn Lance had two hits and an RBI for Carson-Newman. LMU advances to play the winner of the Lenoir-Rhyne/Wingate matchup at 2:00 p.m. this afternoon at Whitley Field. Carson-Newman is eliminated from the tournament and concludes the season 30-18 overall.

The Railsplitters wasted no time jumping out to big lead with two home runs a six-run first. After Brianna Mulkey was hit by a pitch, Toole slammed a two-run homer to get LMU on the board. The Railsplitters then loaded the bases on a pair of walks and a single by Laura Taricano before Reed hit a grand-slam to left center to put LMU up 6-0.

A big bottom half of the third brought C-N right back into the contest. A single by Elayna Siebert, double by Bri Shoemake and intentional walk to Brittany Hefner loaded the bases with none out. Sara Kelley singled home a run and Shoemake scored on a wild pitch to cut the score to 6-2. Lance singled to left, with both runners coming in to score on a misplay in the outfield. An RBI-groundout by Bethany Davis capped off the inning and cut the LMU lead to 6-5.

Reed gave LMU a pair of insurance runs with another home run in the sixth. The two-run shot gave the junior five homers on the season and made the score 8-5 in favor of the Railsplitters.

Taricano added an RBI-single for LMU in the seventh to make the score 9-5.

Toole picked up the victory for the Railsplitters, surrendering two earned runs on five hits and striking out three to improve to 6-4.

No. 3 Lenoir-Rhyne 2, No. 7 Wingate 1 (12 innings)

SALISBURY, N.C.—Brittany Coursen's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 12th lifted three-seed Lenoir-Rhyne to a 3-2 victory over seven-seed Wingate in the 2013 Food Lion SAC Softball Championship, held Thursday at Whitley Field.

Coursen's sac fly capped off a marathon extra-inning affair and gave the Bears their second-consecutive walk-off victory in the tournament. Jody Mizelle homered and drove in two runs for L-R as part of a three-hit day. Stacey Houser threw 204 pitches while working 11.2 innings for Wingate. Lenoir-Rhyne advances to play the winner of the Catwba/Tusculum matchup tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. at Whitley Field. Wingate will face Lincoln Memorial in an elimination game today at 2:00 p.m. at Whitley Field.

Wingate broke through in the top of the fifth with a two out rally. Kayla Saliga and Kasey Pendley each drew two out walks and Kelsey Maffucci reached on an error to load the bases. Shannen Adams then beat out an infield single, with Saliga scoring from third to make the score 1-0.

L-R responded to take the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Coursen doubled with one out to put the Bears in business. Mizelle followed with a two-run shot to left to give Lenoir-Rhyne the 2-1 lead. The homer was Mizelle's seventh of the season.

Alexis Burrell had an answer for the Bulldogs with an opposite-field homer to right-center to tie the score. The homer gave Burrell 10 round-trippers on the season.

Houser made a nice stab on a line-drive by Mizelle to strand two runners in the L-R half of the sixth.

Lenoir-Rhyne put runners on first and third with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but Houser was able to work out of trouble by inducing a lineout to second and lineout to left.

Maryann Hoskins relieved L-R starter Brandi Hole as the team's headed to extra-innings. Hole surrendered an earned run on five hits and struck out one in seven innings of work. Hoskins tossed five innings of one-hit relief and struck out five to earn the victory.

L-R had two on with two out in the bottom of the 10th, but Wingate left field Kasey Pendley made a sliding grab on a line-drive to rob Mizelle and send the game to the 11th.

The Bears set up Coursen's sacrifice fly with a one-out rally in the bottom of the 12th. Ciera Cockerham singled, and a double by Ashley Oliver put runners at second and third with one out. Coursen lofted a fly ball to deep left center, and the throw to the plate was late as Cockerham scored with the winning run.

No. 6 Mars Hill 4, No. 2 Anderson 3

SALISBURY, N.C.— Robyn Stanek's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh gave Mars Hill a walk-off 4-3 victory to defeat Anderson in a 2013 Food Lion SAC Softball Tournament elimination game, held Friday at Salisbury Community Park.

After falling behind 3-2 on Charlotte Sieber's solo homer in the top of the inning, the Lions rallied to push across two runs in the bottom of the seventh to earn the victory. Sieber drove in all three of the Trojans' runs, while Stanek was credited with Mars Hill's lone RBI. Mars Hill advances to face the loser of the Catawba/Tusculum matchup, which will be held today at Whitley Park at 4:30 p.m. barring weather delays. Anderson is eliminated from the tournament and concludes their season 37-13.

Mars Hill broke through in the bottom of the first with a pair of unearned runs. Brittany Gibson reached on an infield single a came around to score on a fielder's choice after a throwing error. The Lions added another run on an error to make the score 2-0.

Anderson answered right back with a pair of runs in the second. A Laura Jansky double and Bri Cason walk put two on with none out. A Sieber two-run single scored both runners and knotted the score at two-apiece.

Sieber's solo homer with two outs in the top of the seventh gave the Trojans a 3-2 lead. The homer was the junior's third of the season.

A leadoff walk drawn by Stephanie McGrath set up Mars Hill's rally in the seventh. McGrath came around to score on a throwing error off an Ashley McCurry sacrifice bunt attempt, with McCurry advancing all the way to third on the play. After a groundout, Stanek lifted a fly ball to left to score McCurry with the winning run.

No. 5 Catawba 3, No. 1 Tusculum 2 (11 innings)

SALISBURY, N.C.— Carley Tysinger's complete game and home run in the 11th-inning lifted Catawba to a 3-2 victory over Tusculum in the 2013 Food Lion SAC Softball Championship, held Friday at Whitley Field.

Tysinger's homer run broke a two-all tie in extras after the Pioneers rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the 10th. Tysinger worked all 11 innings in the circle, throwing 146 pitches and striking out 14 to earn the victory. Tara Gibbs drove in two runs for Catawba. The Indians advance to face Lenoir-Rhyne tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. Tusculum will face Mars Hill today at 4:30 p.m. Both games will be held at Whitley Field.

Catawba threatened right off the bat with a leadoff triple by Amanda Terry. A diving play by Nicole Ball, a strikeout and groundout got King out of the inning without any damage.

The Indians broke through in the top of the third. Gina Gerone led off with a single through the left side. Gerone advanced to second on a groundout, and a Holli Chandler bunt single put runners at the corners with one out. Gibbs' single to center field scored Gerone and gave Catawba a 1-0 lead.

A leadoff double in the top of the fifth by Lindsey Umberger broke up a string of 12-straight retired by Tysinger to start the game. An infield single by Katie Brennan put runners at the corners with none out, but Tysinger rallied to strike out the side to keep the Indians up 1-0.

TC broke through in the bottom of the sixth. Alix Kruel was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. After a sacrifice bunt by Carolyn Williamson and a passed ball, Miranda Beeler beat out an infield single to put runners at the corners with one out. Kaytlin Stroinski scored Kruel from third with an RBI-groundout to first to tie the score.

Neither team was able to push across any runs in the seventh, and the game headed to extra-innings.

The Indians struck for a run in the 10th-inning. Terry drew a one-out walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Chandler. Gibbs laced a single through the left side to break the tie and give Catawba a 2-1 lead.

Tusculum rallied to tie the score back up in the bottom of the 10th. Ball led off with a double and moved over to third when Samantha Silver reached on an error. Ball came in to score when Silver intentionally got into a rundown between first and second. The Pioneers were unable to push across another run and the game headed to the 11th.

Tysinger crushed a one-out homer in the top half of the 11th to put Catawba back on top. The homer was the freshman's third of the season.

The Pioneers threatened in the bottom of the 11th and put a runner on second with one out, but Tysinger struck out the final two batters to close out the victory.