ANDERSON, S.C. — The Tusculum University softball team rebounded to salvage a split and knock Anderson from the South Atlantic Conference unbeatens on Wednesday (Mar. 27).
Tusculum (16-17, 6-6 SAC) hosts Limestone for a Friday (Mar. 29) matinee, with the first pitch currently scheduled for 1 p.m.
Game 1: Anderson 5, Tusculum 0
The opener was the epitome of a pitchers’ duel as the hurlers combined for 28 strikeouts: Anderson’s Laken Maxwell (16) and Tusculum’s Emily Sappington (12).
Maxwell struck out the first 11 Pioneers she faced in the contest, with the streak broken up by a Gabi Nicholson popup.
Tusculum ended the perfect game bid in the fifth with a single by Ellie Alvarez, the lone hit for TU.
Anderson scored once in the fourth and four times in the fifth, including a three-run homer.
Sappington (5-5) tossed all six innings with five runs scoring on seven hits, alongside the aforementioned 12 strikeouts.
Game 2: Tusculum 8, Anderson 4
The Pioneers came out firing in the second game of the series, as TU bookended the contest with four-run frames. The loss halted Anderson’s 13-game winning streak and 9-0 start in SAC play.
Three batters into game two and the Pioneers scored. Brooke Smith bunted for a single and scored on a Claire Smeltzer double to center. With two outs, Alvarez was plunked by an errant pitch and Sammy Jimenez capitalized with the ninth home run of her sophomore campaign.
The Trojans used a two-run shot to cut the lead in half in the bottom of the second.
Anderson followed with a solo homer in the sixth as the margin shrunk to one (4-3).
A big seventh inning provided the necessary separation. Danielle Jason singled to leadoff the frame, moving over to second on a groundout. Smeltzer drew a walk, followed by Nicholson’s single to load the bases with one out. Alvarez was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game to start the carousel and plate the first run. Kylie Darrow entered to run for Nicholson as Jimenez drove in her fourth run of the game on a single to left. Darrow scored on a wild pitch as everyone moved up a bag. Maddie McBride lifted a sacrifice fly to center, plating Alvarez.
AU used three-straight two-out hits to finalize the 8-4 score.
Ireland Cavanaugh (6-8) worked 5.1 innings for the victory, allowing three runs on five hits, sprinkling a walk and five strikeouts throughout. Natalie Spaitis (Sv., 3) picked up her third save of her career after 1.2 frames of action, relenting three hits and one run with a strikeout.
