Softball Takes Second Game of Doubleheader Against Truett McConnell

CLEVELAND, Ga.- Four runs between the fifth and sixth innings helped the softball team pick up a split on Wednesday. The team faced the Truett McConnell University Lady Bears, winning the second game of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) doubleheader 4-1. 

Game One:

Avery Hope put the Lady Bulldogs up 1-0 in the top of the first inning. Macy Chastain, who got on base with a walk and to second on a wild pitch, scored on Hope's single to give the team the one-run advantage. Truett McConnell took the lead in the second inning, scoring two runs to lead 2-1.

TWU took a brief lead in the top of the third inning. Bailee Phillips opened the inning with a double. A passed ball moved Phillips to third before Kaley Bradley's single brought Phillips home to tie the game 2-2. The opponents brought a run across in the bottom of the third to break the tie. 

A high-scoring fourth inning saw the Lady Bulldogs score four runs. Chastain got on base with a walk and was followed by a single by Taylor Penning. A single by Phillips moved Chastain two bases as she scored to tie the game and Penning to second. Mackenzie Baldwin broke the tie, belting a ball over the left field fence to give the team a 6-3 advantage as Penning and Phillips both scored on the homer. Unfortunately, Truett McConnell scored six runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to pull ahead 9-6, using that score to win the first game. 

Baldwin led the offense with three RBIs.

Game Two:

Through the first four innings, a pitcher's duel took place as neither team scored and only three hits occurred. Tennessee Wesleyan changed the game in the fifth inning. 

The inning looked bleak as the first two batters recorded outs. Brooke Freeman kept the inning alive as an error got her on base. Carlynn Atamaniuk put two runners on with a walk. Chastain stood on a corner base after hitting a triple, scoring both Freeman and Atamaniuk to give the team a 2-0 lead after the fifth inning. 

In the sixth inning, the team added more to their lead. Phillips opened the inning with a single and was replaced by pinch-runner Ali Richards. A single by Baldwin moved Richards to second who would score on a Tatum Massengale double. Baldwin, who ended the double on third, scored on a Bradley sacrifice fly, giving the team a 4-0 lead. Truett McConnell scored one run in the top of the seventh but the defense did not allow the opponents to pull closer in the win. 

Phillips finished with five strikeouts in the circle. 

TWU (12-9, 10-8 AAC) stays on the road to play a non-conference doubleheader against Point University on Saturday. The first game is set to begin at 2:00 p.m.