GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — Kary Hales recorded five hits on the day including three doubles and a home run to lead the Catawba College softball team to a South Atlantic Conference sweep over host Tusculum University Wednesday afternoon at Red Edmonds Field.
The Indians scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning and had to withstand a TU rally as Catawba won 9-8. The Tribe pounded out 21 hits including 10 for extra bases as Catawba won the night-cap 16-9.
Tusculum third baseman Gabi Nicholson had a career day at the plate going 6-of-9 with eight RBI thanks to a pair of home runs including a grand slam in Wednesday’s opener.
Catawba improves to 16-14 overall and 4-2 in league play, while the Pioneers fall to 13-16, 3-5 in the SAC.
Game 1: Catawba 9, Tusculum 8 (8 innings)
Hales went 3-for-5 with three doubles including the game-winning, two-run base knock in the eighth as Catawba prevailed 9-8 in extra innings.
The Indians rallied from a 5-1 deficit scoring twice in the fourth inning and three times in the fifth to take a 6-5 lead. In the fourth, Brianna Herring hit a two-out, two-run single to trim the deficit to 5-3. In the fifth, Savanna Balderston had a two-run single to spark a three-run frame as Catawba led by one (6-5).
Tusculum tied the game at 6-6 with a run in the bottom of the fifth as Claire Smeltzer scored on a two-out, wild pitch.
Catawba reclaimed the lead in the sixth as Riley Tucker reached on a one-out hit single and scored on Brianna Gallagher’s double as the Indians led 7-6.
In the bottom of the seventh, Smeltzer led off with an infield hit, moved to second on a bunt and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Ellie Alvarez hit a double to the right field corner bringing home Smeltzer with the tying run. Alvarez moved to third on a wild pitch with the potential winning run, but Hales got the final out of the frame and send the contest into extra innings.
Catawba scored twice in the eighth on Hales’ two-run double to go up 9-7. In the bottom of the eighth, Tusculum got down to its final out, but pinch-hitter Makayla Bush belted a double to left field to drive in Sammy Jimenez as TU trailed, 9-8. But Hales would get an infield foul out to end the game.
The Pioneers scored the first run of the game as Brooke Smith hit her third triple of the season and scored on Smeltzer’s RBI ground out. Catawba tied the game in the second one Molly Strider’s RBI single.
In the bottom of the third, the Pioneers loaded the bases and Nicholson hit a grand slam to right field to clear the bases as TU went up 5-1.
Hales (3-2) came on in relief and pitched five innings, scattered six hits while allowing three runs, two earned, one walk and two strikeouts. TU reliever Ireland Cavanaugh, who pitched the eighth inning, suffered the loss.
Smith went 3-for-5 for the Pioneers scoring two runs, while Nicholson went 2-for-3 with four RBI and Alvarez also had a two-hit game.
Game 2: Catawba 16, Tusculum 9
Tucker went 4-for-5 with a pair of runs scored, while Courtnee Carter had three hits as Catawba outlasted Tusculum 16-9 in a slugfest. The Indians finished the game with five doubles and four home runs, while the Pioneers posted some power numbers of their own with three doubles and three homers.
Of the 21 Catawba hits, Tucker went 4-for-5 with fourth RBI, while Gallagher and Carter each had 3-for-4 efforts. Hales and Balderston each had three RBI to go along with their two base hits.
Tusculum tallied a dozen hits with Nicholson going 4-for-4 with two doubles and a home run. Bush went 2-for-2 with a double, a home run and three RBI, while Smith added two hits for the Black and Orange.
The Indians led wire-to-wire and exploded for eight runs in the fourth inning to take a 10-1 lead. Twelve batters went to the plate in the fourth as Catawba posted eight hits including a pair of three-run homers by Hales and Taylor.
Tusculum wouldn’t go away as the Pioneers scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth as Nicholson led off with a solo home run and Jimenez later belted a two-run blast as TU trailed 10-4.
Catawba added a run in the fifth as Grace Flynn hit a triple and scored on a TU error on the play to extend the lead to 11-4. TU answered with four runs in the bottom the fifth thanks to Nicholson’s two-run double and later followed by Bush’s two-run homer as TU trailed 11-8.
Catawba put the game out of reach scoring five times in the seventh as Gallagher clubbed a three-run home and Balderston added two-run double.
Tucker (6-4) picked up the win in relief as she went 2 1/3 innings, allowed one run, on two hits with a walk.
Tusculum returns to action on Saturday when the Pioneers travel to Hartsville, South Carolina for a SAC doubleheader at Coker University beginning at 12 p.m.
