GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University softball team swept nearby King for a pair of key regional victories on Wednesday (Feb. 26) afternoon.
Tusculum (17-1) makes a quick turnaround for a road doubleheader at Young Harris on Thursday (Feb. 27). First pitch between the Pioneers and Mountain Lions is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Game 1: Tusculum 6, King 4
TU stole a season-best eight bases, which is tied for second-most in program history. Five Pioneers tallied at least one steal: Danielle Jason (2), Brooke Smith (2), Ellie Alvarez (2), Sammy Jimenez, and Katie Jones.
King led off the day with a triple, which scored on a passed ball, to put Tusculum down early.
Caylen Conrad's sacrifice fly tied the game in the bottom of the second. Jimenez singled through the left side and stole second. Alvarez singled and Megan Ackerman walked to load the bases with one out. Conrad fouled out to left field but Jimenez was able to race home.
The Pioneers tacked on four runs in the third to extend the lead to 5-1. Jason and Smith both singled and stole a respective base to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. After back-to-back outs in the infield, Jimenez singled down the right field line to score the pair. Alvarez doubled in Jimenez, followed by Ackerman's triple to score Alvarez.
TU added one more in the fifth frame. Alvarez walked, stealing second and third. Ackerman walked and Katie Jones came in to pinch run. Jones stole second and Riley Hope entered to pinch hit, legging out an infield single to plate Alvarez.
The Tornado put a scare in the Pioneers during the seventh inning. Down 6-1, King scored three times and had the game-tying batter at the plate at game's end. A one-out triple scored on a throwing error, followed by a single. A walk had two runners on, both scoring on a two-out double. With a runner on, the final batter flew out to center.
Megan Ackerman (7-1) tallied her seventh win of the campaign, tossing four innings. She allowed one unearned run, one walk, and four strikeouts. Natalie Spaitis (Sv., 3) earned her third save of the season and is just three shy of breaking the TU career record. She surrendered three runs, five hits, one walk, and struck out three.
Game 2: Tusculum 6, King 1
Ellie Alvarez went 3-for-3 with a walk in game two, while also driving in a run. Nyah Vogel picked up her second win of the season over King, lowering her earned run average to a team-best 1.84.
Tusculum took the lead in the first and never looked back. Smith was hit by a pitch, stole second, and advanced to third on a wild pitch. She scored as Alvarez doubled after a ricochet off of former Pioneer Alyssa Suits at third. Alvarez advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch.
King's lone run came in the second inning. Consecutive singles both moved up on a wild pitch so the Tornado had two runners in scoring position with no outs. After a strikeout, the next batter launched a sacrifice fly to center to plate the run.
The Pioneers added two more in the third. Smith reached on an error, followed by Alvarez singling to left with both advancing on the throw. King changed pitchers. Gabi Nicholson drove in Smith and Jimenez doubled home Alvarez.
A squeeze bunt by Emma Golden marked the first RBI of her career, happening in the fifth inning. Jimenez drew a walk to lead off and stole second. Addison Hoffner, in her first collegiate start, reached on an error with Jones pinch-running. The pair advanced on a wild pitch to bring Golden to the plate as a pinch hitter. She laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Jimenez.
TU added another insurance run in the sixth. With two outs, Alvarez worked a walk and stole second. She scored with ease on Nicholson's triple.
For the second time this season, Nyah Vogel (3-0) went the distance against the Tornado. She allowed one run on six hits, one walk, and four strikeouts on just over 100 pitches.
