JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — Tusculum University softball dropped both contests on the final day of the Big Region Preseason Invitational hosted at Winged Deer Park.
Tusculum (2-2) is scheduled to make its home debut on Thursday (Feb. 12) against North Greenville. The doubleheader is set for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
Game 1: Glenville St. 15, Tusculum 1 (5 innings)
The Glenville State Pioneers used three big innings to ding the Tusculum Pioneers for their first loss of 2026.
TU’s lone run came in the bottom of the third. Ellie Alvarez and Sammy Jimenez led off the inning with back-to-back singles, as Ella Majchrzak capitalized on the opportunity with a single back up the middle to plate Alvarez.
GSU had a pair of six-run innings, capping off with a three-run fifth to run-rule Tusculum.
Chelsey Stonesifer (1-1) was tagged with the loss as the starter.
Game 2: Davis & Elkins 4, Tusculum 3 (8 innings)
The Pioneers never led in the game, but came back to tie the contest at 3-3 in the sixth. The Senators eked out an extra-inning run to down the Pioneers.
D&E scored once in each of the first two innings before Tusculum got on the board in the second. Catherine O’Donohue led off with a double and advanced on an Ava Hallows single. O’Donohue scored on a Davis & Elkins miscue.
TU tied the game in the third on an Addison Hoffner sacrifice fly. Jimenez led off with a double and advanced on a Majchrzak ground out. Hoffner lifted a ball into right field to allow Jimenez to race home.
The Senators retook the lead with some smart base-running in the fourth.
Stonesifer drew a walk to start the sixth and was bunted over by Hallows. Taylor Hancock legged out a pinch-hit single with both runners advancing on a passed ball. Abby Hunter capitalized with a sacrifice fly out to right to score Stonesifer.
Stonesifer kept the Senators off the board in the top of the seventh with a pair of strikeouts, while in the bottom half of the frame, the Pioneers could not convert after a lead-off single.
Starting the eighth with the international tiebreaker on second base, D&E had two batters reach to load the bases with only one out. The Senators drew a walk to take the lead before back-to-back outs.
Muriel Dillow was placed on second base as the tiebreaker as a substitution. Stonesifer drew a walk, as the runners were both bunted over by Hallows. TU could not work a run across to suffer its second loss on the day.
