GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University head softball coach Julie Huebner picked up the 300th win of her career in the doubleheader sweep of Lees-McRae on Tuesday (Feb. 4). Both games featured an eighth inning walk-off for the Pioneers.
In game two, a pair of program records fell. As a team, the Pioneers recorded five triples, with three coming from Ellie Alvarez.
Tusculum (4-0) begins a span of 16 games away from Red Edmonds Field this weekend (Feb. 8-9) at the Big Region Preseason Invitational, taking place at Winged Deer Park in Johnson City, Tennessee. The Pioneers will face the Bobcats and Barton on Saturday, followed by Converse and King on Sunday.
Game 1: Tusculum 7, Lees-McRae 6 (8 innings)
Lees-McRae scored four runs in the sixth to force extra innings as Tusculum walked it off to pick up Huebner's milestone win. Danielle Jason went 3-for-4 with three steals and two runs scored.
The Pioneers got on the board early in the first inning. Jason led off with a single to left, quickly stealing second. She advanced to third on a groundout by Brooke Smith, scoring on Gabi Nicholson's single through the left side.
Neither team had a player reach base again until the fourth. The lead off batter for the Bobcats reached on an outfield error, advancing to second on the play. The next batter bunted her over to third. With two outs, LMC hit a two-run homer to put Tusculum down for the first time this season.
However, the Pioneers quickly responded. Sammy Jimenez singled up the middle, moving over to second on an Alvarez groundout. Megan Ackerman doubled down the right field line to plate the catcher. Ella Majchrzak notched a pinch-hit double to put Tusculum back in front.
TU tacked on three more runs in the fifth to go ahead 6-2. Abby Hunter reached on a Lees-McRae fielding error to start the frame. She stole second and Jason raced out an infield single to put runners on the corners. The duo executed a double steal to score Hunter. Smith bunted for a single, which advanced Jason to third. Smith stole second. With two outs, Jimenez raced out her bunt single as Smith scored on a throwing error by LMC.
Lees-McRae scored four runs on six hits in the sixth to pull even with Tusculum. The Bobcats led off the frame with three-straight hits, scoring once. After an out, LMC had another three consecutive base knocks, which plated a pair. The final Bobcat scored on a fielder's choice.
Each team had a single in the seventh but no runners scored.
With the international tiebreaker runner on second, Lees-McRae had back-to-back foul outs before a groundout.
Jimenez did all the work in the eighth for Tusculum as the runner. She was able to score the winning run thanks to two wild pitches.
The Pioneers used four pitchers in the victory. Nyah Vogel got the start, tossing three scoreless innings with three strikeouts on an efficient 30 pitches. Megan Ackerman went two frames, allowing five runs (three earned) with three strikeouts. Dani Beckham made her TU debut, going 0.1 innings with one earned run allowed. Natalie Spaitis (2-0) pitched the final 2.2 frames, keeping the Bobcats off the scoreboard. She relented only a single hit in eight batters faced.
Game 2: Tusculum 8, Lees-McRae 7 (8 innings)
The Pioneers used a program record five triples as both Riley Hope and Alvarez went 3-for-4 at the plate, Alvarez added three triples (a TU record) with two runs, while Hope drove in a pair of runs.
Lees-McRae got the early jump on Tusculum with two first-inning scores. A lead off single was bunted over, followed by a RBI double. A two-out single plated the remaining run.
The Pioneers started the game with back-to-back triples by Jason and Smith. Nicholson followed with a RBI groundout.
The teams continued to onslaught in the second. LMC had two hits and took advantage of a TU error for a pair of unearned runs.
Tusculum pulled ahead with a three-run second inning. Alvarez led off the frame with a triple, scoring on Kylie Darrow's double. Hunter raced out an infield single and quickly stole second to put a pair of Pioneers in scoring position. Jason doubled in Darrow and Smith drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases. Hunter was thrown out at the plate on a fielder's choice, but TU capitalized on Hope's single through the right side to score one.
In the third inning, Lees-McRae tied the contest at 5-all using two hits and a wild pitch.
The Pioneers regained the edge in the fourth. Jason kicked off the frame with a single. She stole second and wound up at third after a throwing error. Hope singled her in.
Alvarez broke the record with her triple to start the fifth. Majchrzak stepped in to pinch-hit, grounding out, but Alvarez scored.
Once again, a sixth inning spurt by the Bobcats tied the game. LMC used three hits and a TU error to even the score at 7-7.
Neither team was able to muster a run in the seventh so, for the second time on the day, the game went to extras.
Lees-McRae bunted the runner to third and stole second after the single. With a pair of runners in scoring position with no outs, the Pioneers buckled down. Beckham struck out the next batter in a nine-pitch at-bat. In a botched bunt attempt, the runner was going on the pitch and was caught stealing by Jimenez at the plate. Hailey Nichols, playing at first base, caught a foul pop-up to send the TU offense up to bat.
Hunter was sent to second as the runner with Jason at the plate. Jason laid down a sacrifice bunt to send her teammate to third. Down in the count 0-2, Smith belted a screamer down the third base line, ricocheting off the bag and catching the LMC defense off guard. Hunter was able to come in to score with ease.
Spaitis started game two after finishing game one. She tossed the first four innings, allowing five runs (three earned) with four strikeouts and one walk. Beckham (1-0) picked up her first collegiate victory behind a four-inning shutdown of the Bobcats. She relented four hits, two runs (one earned), and four strikeouts, needing just 47 pitches.
