No. 9 Softball Uses Comeback to Complete AAC Sweep

West Point, Ga.- The softball team, ranked No. 9 in the NAIA, was back on the road Wednesday. The team played a doubleheader against the Point University Lady Skyhawks in their Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) opener.

Game One:

The first three innings of the opening game were scoreless. Tennessee Wesleyan broke the game open in the fourth inning.

Loryn Sherwood and Malyssa Jeter began the inning with singles. A wild pitch moved pinch-runner Emma Clevinger and Jeter a base up. Clevinger scored on a Taylor Penning sacrifice fly, moving Jeter to third base in the process. Mackenzie Baldwin singled to right field to score Jeter, moving the lead to 2-0. Caroline Moore joined Baldwin on base, and both scored on a Destiny Painter triple to center field, making the score 4-0 after their offensive half of the inning. Point scored one run in the bottom of the fourth.

In the top of the fifth, Courtney Sneed became run number five in the game. After a single, Sneed advanced to second on a Sherwood single and third on a Jeter sacrifice bunt. Sneed scored on a Penning sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 5-1. Two more runs came across in the sixth for the Lady Bulldogs.

Moore, via a walk, and Painter, via a single, would complete their time on base to become the final two runs of the game. A stolen base by each moved them up a base before Sneed doubled to left field to score both of them, making the final score 7-1.

Cheyenne Strong pitched the complete game, striking out 11 batters while giving up only one run and three hits. Painter, Sneed, and Penning each had two RBIs in the game to go along with an RBI by Baldwin.

Game Two:

TWU continued the offense power to begin the second game. Painter opened the game with a single to left field, advancing to second on a ground out. An error caused by Sherwood gave Painter space to score and Sherwood ended up on second after Point was able to get the ball. A double by the left field line by Penning brought Sherwood home, giving the team a 2-0 lead after the first inning.

In the third inning, Moore added to the lead for the Lady Bulldogs. Moore started the inning with a double, moving to third after a Sneed single. Sneed stealing second gave Moore the opportunity to score, moving the lead to 3-0.

Five more runs came on the board over the fourth and fifth innings. Unfortunately for the Lady Bulldogs, they all went towards Point's score, giving the opponents a 5-3 advantage that remained as Tennessee Wesleyan came to the plate in the seventh inning.

Needing to score two runs to extend the game, the Lady Bulldogs went to work. Moore hit a single to become a potential run. After a flyout, Sneed became the game-tying run with a single, moving Moore to second. Penning loaded the bases with her single to left field. The pressure magnified as the second out of the inning was recorded after Penning's single. Baldwin came to the plate and belted a ball which resulted in a double and scored both Moore and Sneed, extending the game to an eighth inning.

In the eighth inning, Emily Mikkola eventually became the winning run. Starting with a walk, Mikkola scored from first on an error on Painter's at-bat. Painter got caught at second though to be the first out of the inning. The team added a few insurance runs as well. Moore (on a DeArman bases-loaded walk), Sneed, and Penning (on Baldwin's two-RBI double) all scored to move the team ahead 9-5 at the beginning of the bottom of the eighth. A popup and two Baylie Davis strikeouts ended the game in the eighth inning with the Lady Bulldogs winning 9-5 to complete the sweep.

Madison Stott got the start on the mound, finishing with one strikeout. Davis pitched the final four innings, striking out seven in picking up the win.

Up next for Tennessee Wesleyan (5-3, 2-0 AAC) is the team's home opener against Columbia International University on Tuesday. The first game of the doubleheader is set for 1:00 p.m.