Greeneville, Tenn.----The Wingate University Bulldogs swept a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Tusculum College in South Atlantic Conference softball action. The Bulldogs won the first game 3-0, while prevailing 6-5 in game two to improve to 23-17 overall and 10-4 in the SAC. The Pioneers fall to 20-18 overall and 4-6 in league play.
Game One: Wingate 3, Tusculum 0
Freshman catcher
Jordan Floyd (Wilmington, N.C.) had a homer and two RBI to lead the Wingate offense, while sophomore right-hander
Rachel Weidner (Greenville, N.C.) tossed a one-hit shutout. Freshman outfielder
Jessica VonCannon (Locust, N.C.) added two hits and an RBI for the Bulldogs, while senior
Misty Doran (Century, Fla.) and freshman
Emma Swenson (Matthews, N.C.) each contributed a hit and a run scored.
After two scoreless innings, Doran led off the third with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice, then scored on VonCannon's RBI single to give Wingate a 1-0 lead.
The Bulldogs got some insurance in the top of the seventh. Swenson started the inning with a double, while Floyd followed with her fifth homer of the year, a two-run shot to left to make it 3-0. The freshman is now tied for the team lead in homers on the year.
Weidner was dominant, tossing her seventh shutout of the season. Tusculum's lone hit of the game was a two-out single in the second. Weidner struck out eight on the afternoon to improve to 12-8 on the season.
Taylor Plemons took the loss, falling to 11-9 on the year. She allowed three runs on six hits in seven innings, striking out three and walking one.
Game Two: Wingate 6, Tusculum 5
Swenson and Floyd each had two hits including a double, driving in two runs apiece to lead the Wingate attack in game two. Sophomore catcher
Taylor Wells (Chesterfield, Va.) added a hit, RBI and run scored, while sophomore outfielder
Naomi Sapp (Guyton, Ga.) was two-for-four with a run scored.
Emily Hester and
Taylor Johnson each homered to lead the Tusculum offense.
Robin Stoner added a hit and an RBI for the Pioneers.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first. Sapp started the game with a single, then scored on an RBI single from Wells. Swenson followed with an RBI single, while Floyd's two-run double gave the 'Dogs a four-run advantage.
Johnson led off the bottom of the second with a solo homer to make it 4-1, but Wingate pushed the lead back to four in the top of the third. Senior infielder
Katie McLaurin (Laurinburg, N.C.) reached on a two-out single, then scored on Swenson's RBI double. Doran scored on VonCannon's RBI single in the fourth to make it 6-1.
The Pioneers got back within four when Hester led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo homer. Hester's sacrifice fly in the fifth made it 6-3, while Johnson's RBI single got Tusculum within two.
The Pioneers made it a one-run game in the bottom of the seventh on a Stoner RBI single, but Weidner struck out the next batter to end the game and finish the sweep.
Freshman right-hander
Aubrey Reep (Eastover, N.C.) got the win, moving to 11-9. She allowed four runs on six hits in five innings of work, striking out two and walking two. Weidner allowed a run in two innings of work to notch her third save of the year, striking out one.
Eliza Davis took the loss, falling to 4-4. She allowed six runs on 11 hits in seven innings, striking out six and walking one.
The Bulldogs are back in action Tuesday, traveling to Newberry for a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m.
