Box score
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum College senior
Erin Searcy (Coolidge, Ga.) tossed her second straight no-hitter,
and the Pioneers scored six unanswered runs in the second game of a
doubleheader with Lees-McRae College to sweep the Bobcats in
non-conference softball action on Wednesday afternoon.
Tusculum (10-4) posted a total of 13 hits in the twin-bill,
including 10 base knocks in the night cap, while holding Lees-McRae
(6-8) to one run on four hits. The Pioneers opened the doubleheader
with a 1-0 win, which was highlighted by Searcy's second
consecutive no-hitter, before plating five runs in the sixth inning
of game two en route to a 6-1 victory.
Kierstie Moon (Oxford, Ga.), Paige Coleman (Thomasville, N.C.),
Kim Coley (Marion, N.C.), and Anna Carter (Hurdle Mills, N.C.) each
tallied a hit on the day, as Moon scored her seventh run of the
season. Laurel Gregg (Mars Hill, N.C.) pitched well enough to win
in game one, allowing one run on three hits and striking out three
over six innings. Magen West (Whitney, Texas) got the nod in game
two, allowing five earned runs and striking out two in six frames
of work.
Ashley Burke (North Augusta, S.C.) paced the Pioneers with a
4-for-6 day at the plate, posting a pair of 2-for-3 performances
while driving in a team-high three runs. Taylor MacDonald
(Scarborough, Ontario, Canada) chipped in two hits, including a
triple, while Lindsey Umberger (Madison, Wis.) posted a 3-for-4 day
with three runs scored to go along with two triples and an RBI.
Searcy posted a dominating performance in game one, surrendering
just two walks and striking out eight batters en route to her
second no-hitter of the season. Elizabeth Johnson (Greenville,
Wis.) followed with a solid performance in the night-cap, allowing
one unearned run on four hits in seven innings of work.
Game One: Tusculum 1, Lees-McRae 0 (Box Score)
The opener remained scoreless until the bottom of the third,
when Burke laced a double down the left field line, scoring
Umberger from first to tally the eventual deciding run. Searcy took
control from there, allowing just one base runner past first base
while retiring the final eight batters of the game to close out the
no-hitter.
Game Two: Tusculum 6, Lees-McRae 1 (Box Score)
Lees-McRae struck first in game two, plating a run in the top of
the first inning when Moon drew a leadoff walk, stole third after
Karli Robb (Hayes, Va.) was hit by a pitch, and scored on a
throwing error by the Tusculum catcher to give the Bobcats an early
1-0 lead.
Tusculum answered right back in the bottom of the frame, evening
the score at 1-1 when Umberger tripled down the right field line
and scored on an RBI single by Burke. The score would stay knotted
at 1-1 until the bottom of the sixth, when MacDonald laced a
leadoff single and scored on Umberger's second triple of the game
to score the deciding run and give TC a 2-1 advantage.
The Pioneers plated four additional runs in the inning,
highlighted by a two-run double by Ashley Bagley (Cornelia, Ga.) to
equal the final margin of 6-1. Lees-McRae would threaten in the
seventh, receiving a leadoff single by Carter before Johnson shut
the door, recording back-to-back strikeouts and a game-ending force
out at second to close out the victory.
Lees-McRae returns to the diamond on Sunday when the Bobcats
travel to Mars Hill, N.C. to take on Mars Hill College in a
non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.
- LMC -
