Mars Hill, N.C.----The Mars Hill University Lions scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning in game one of Saturday's South Atlantic Conference doubleheader to rally for a 5-4 victory over Wingate University, but the Bulldogs responded with a 4-3 victory in game two to finish out the regular season by winning nine of their final 10 games. Wingate will enter postseason play at 23-25 overall, going 11-9 in the SAC to finish fourth in the league standings after starting conference play at 1-7. Mars Hill moves to 16-18 overall and 7-13 in the SAC.
Game One: Mars Hill 5, Wingate 4
Ragan Broome and
Ashley Evans each homered to lead the Mars Hill offense in game one, while
Casey Stanek drove in a pair of runs.
Kayleigh Jonas also had a hit and an RBI for the Lions.
Sophomore infielder
Emma Swenson (Matthews, N.C.) was three-for-four with a double, homer and four RBI to lead the Wingate offense. Sophomore pitcher
Aubrey Reep (Eastover, N.C.) went three-for-three with a run scored, while junior outfielder
Naomi Sapp (Guyton, Ga.) added two hits and two runs scored.
Wingate jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first when Sapp reached on a one-out single, then scored on Swenson's RBI double. Mars Hill tied it in the bottom of the frame when Broome led off the inning with a solo homer. Evans started the bottom of the second with a solo shot to give the Lions a 2-1 advantage.
Sapp started a rally in the fifth with a one-out single, then scored on Swenson's RBI single to make it 2-2. Reep reached on a one-out single in the top of the seventh, then scored on Swenson's two-run blast to left center to give Wingate a 4-2 lead.
A walk and double started the bottom of the seventh, while an RBI double from
Christina Marasa made it a one-run game. After a walk, Stanek came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. She ended it with a two-run single, giving Mars Hill the 5-4 walk-off win.
Stanek got the win, moving to 10-7. She allowed four runs on 10 hits in seven innings of work, walking two. Reep took the loss, allowing five runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out three and walking two.
Game Two: Wingate 4, Mars Hill 3
Freshman outfielder
Gracyn Polk (Concord, N.C.) had a double and two RBI to lead the Wingate offense in game two. Senior infielder
Mikayla Hannah (Lancaster, S.C.) had a double, RBI and run scored, while junior catcher
Taylor Wells (Chesterfield, Va.) also drove in a run for the Bulldogs. Swenson had a hit and two runs scored, while Reep also had a hit and scored a run.
Jordan Harris had a homer and two RBI to lead the MHU offense in game two, while Jonas added an RBI.
Wingate scored three times in the first, getting two-out singles from Reep and Swenson along with a walk to load the bases. Wells drew a bases-loaded walk to plate the first run, while Polk followed with a two-run double to left center to make it 3-0.
Swenson reached on an error to start the third, then scored on Hannah's RBI double to make it 4-0.
A Jonas sacrifice fly in the fourth got the Lions on the board. Harris connected on a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to make it a one-run game. Mars Hill got two more on, but junior right-hander
Rachel Weidner (Greenville, N.C.) got a strikeout and ground out to end the game.
Weidner got the win, moving to 7-9 on the year. She allowed three runs on five hits in seven innings, striking out six and walking one.
Cristi Pressley took the loss, falling to 1-2. She allowed three runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning.
Wingate is the number four seed in the SAC Tournament, which starts Friday in Anderson, S.C. The Bulldogs will face the fifth-seeded Anderson Trojans Friday at 10 a.m.
