Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs scored two in the bottom of the seventh inning to take game one 6-5 Sunday afternoon, but Tusculum College held on for a 5-3 victory in game two of the South Atlantic Conference softball doubleheader. The Bulldogs move to 14-24 overall and 4-8 in the SAC, while the Pioneers go to 21-18 overall and 5-7 in league play.
Game One: Wingate 6, Tusculum 5
Sophomore infielder
Emma Swenson (Matthews, N.C.) had a homer and two RBI to lead the Wingate offense. Sophomore pitcher
Aubrey Reep (Eastover, N.C.) was two-for-three with a double and two RBI, while freshman infielder
Haley Cashwell (Autryville, N.C.) went three-for-four with a triple and three runs scored. Junior outfielder
Naomi Sapp (Guyton, Ga.) added a hit, RBI and run scored for the Bulldogs.
Emily Hester was two-for-three with an RBI to lead the Tusculum offense in game one.
Taylor Johnson added an RBI and run scored, with
Sammie West and
Emma Casey each contributing an RBI for the Pioneers.
Wingate jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Cashwell started the frame with a triple to left center, then scored on Reep's RBI double. Tusculum took advantage of a Wingate error in the fifth to tie it.
The Bulldogs scored three times in the bottom of the fifth to regain the lead. Cashwell started the rally with a one-out single, stole second, then scored on Sapp's RBI single. Swenson followed with her fourth homer of the season, a towering two-run shot down the left field line to make it 4-1.
The Pioneers scored three times in the sixth to tie it. Johnson's RBI single started the scoring, while a West squeeze bunt got TC within a run. Casey made it 4-4 with an RBI double to left. Hester's two-out RBI single in the top of the seventh gave Tusculum a 5-4 advantage.
Wingate had the answer in the bottom of the seventh inning. Sophomore outfielder
Rebekah Woods (Sylvania, Ga.) started the inning with a single, then moved to second on Cashwell's bunt single. Sapp drew a walk to load the bases, while Reep's sacrifice fly to center plated Woods to make it 5-5. With the bases loaded and two outs, a pitch from
Lizzy Galloway got to the backstop, with Cashwell sliding home ahead of the tag to give the 'Dogs the walk-off victory.
Junior right-hander
Rachel Weidner (Greenville, N.C.) got the win, allowing a run on three hits in two innings in relief, striking out two to move to 2-8 on the year. Galloway took the loss, allowing two runs on two hits in 1 2/3 innings to fall to 2-4.
Game Two: Tusculum 5, Wingate 3
Delaney Guerrero was two-for-four with two RBI and a run scored to lead the Tusculum attack in game two.
Taylor Battle added an RBI and two runs scored, with Hester and Johnson each adding an RBI for the Pioneers.
Reep had a homer and two RBI to lead the Wingate offense in game two. Junior catcher
Taylor Wells (Chesterfield, Va.) went two-for-three with an RBI, while Sapp and Swenson each collected a hit and a run scored.
Johnson's RBI double in the top of the first gave the Pioneers an early 1-0 lead. Battle's RBI single started a four-run fourth inning for Tusculum. Guerrero's two-run double made it 4-0, while Hester followed with an RBI double to put TC on top by five.
Wingate scored three times in the sixth to get within two. Sapp started the two-out rally with a single, then scored when Reep connected on her eighth homer of the year, a towering two-run shot to left to make it 5-2. Swenson followed with a single, then scored on an RBI single from Wells to make it 5-3.
Taylor Plemons got the win, allowing three runs on five hits in seven innings of work, striking out three and walking one to move to 7-6 on the year. Weidner took the loss, allowing four earned runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings, striking out five and walking two.
Wingate is back in action Tuesday, traveling to Belmont Abbey for a 2 p.m. doubleheader.
