LAGRANGE, Ga. - The University of the South softball team recorded a split of Saturday's doubleheader with LaGrange College to start the 2023 season. The Tigers fell in the first game, 6-4, but rallied in extra innings to defeat the Panthers, 8-7, Saturday afternoon from the LaGrange Softball Complex.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Score (Game 1): LaGrange 6, Sewanee 4
Winning Pitcher: Claire Chamberlain (1-0)
Losing Pitcher:
Michaela Walker (1-1)
Final Score (Game 2): Sewanee (1-1) 8, LaGrange (1-1) 7 | 8 innings
Winning Pitcher:
Michaela Walker (1-1)
Losing Pitcher: Isabelle Herren (1-1)
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HOW IT HAPPENED, GAME 1
-After LaGrange retired the first five batters of the game, Sewanee got to work on offense with two outs in the top of the second. After a
Maggie Barker base hit and stolen base,
Eve Bournias gave the Tigers the early 1-0 lead thanks to a dropped fly ball in right field.
-The Panthers responded in the bottom half of the inning with three runs to take a 3-1 lead after two innings of play.
-LaGrange added three more in the fourth to lead 6-1, but the Tiger bats returned to life in the top of the fifth. With the bases loaded,
Madilyn Parker laced a base hit through the left side to discord
Maggie Barker.
-Sewanee added two more thanks to
Zoe Crockett reaching base on a LaGrange error. However, the Tigers stranded two on base from there and trailed 6-4 after four and a half.
HOW IT HAPPENED, GAME 2
-After two scoreless innings, the Panthers posted a four-run frame, capped by a two-run single by Isabelle Herren.
-In the top of the fourth, after back-to-back singles,
Alice Charboneau recorded an RBI double to get on the board. Next,
Sarah Wright had an infield hit that scored
Hannah Wilson, and later,
Maggie Barker recorded a productive out with an RBI groundout to make the contest a 4-3 score in favor of the home team.
-After a shut-down bottom half of the fourth on defense, the Purple and White brought the bats back in the top of the fifth. After two walks and sacrifice bunts to put runners at second and third, Wilson laced a two-run base hit to score
Grace Black and
Christian Cain that gave the visitors the 5-4 lead.
-Unfortunately, the lead would not last long, as the Panthers tacked on the tying run in the bottom half with an RBI single.
-The Panthers eventually reclaimed the lead in the sixth with Lindsey Swearngin scoring on an error.
-Trailing 6-5 going into the seventh,
Zoe Crockett reached with one out on a LaGrange error and eventually moved to third for
Alice Charboneau and two outs. The senior sent a fly ball to right center field out of reach of the defender and earned a triple to tie the game at six runs apiece.
-Sewanee held their ground in the bottom half. After LaGrange started the inning with a leadoff single, a double play by Herren took the air out the Panthers in the seventh.
-Going to extra innings, the coaches agreed to place a runner at second base to start the inning. The placed runner is the batter who made the final out in the previous inning. For Sewanee, it was
Sarah Wright, and she did not stay there long. Barker punched a ball into the right center field alley for a double to bring Wright home and give the Tigers the 7-6 lead.
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Eve Bournias followed with a two-bagger of her own to increase the lead. After LaGrange changed pitchers in the circle, they were able to get out of the jam.
-In the bottom of the eighth, Claire Chamberlain was placed on second base as a pinch runner. She came around to score on a sacrifice fly with for the first out of the inning. Swearngin, with the tying run at second, lined out to Bournias at short and stepped on the bag at second for the game-ending double play.
SEWANEE KEY STATISTICS
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Madilyn Parker posted two hits and an RBI in game one.
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Maggie Barker scored twice and had a double in the opener. In the night cap, she went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI.
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Hannah Wilson and
Alice Charboneau each had two hits and RBI on the day.
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Michaela Walker (1-1) threw six innings on the day. Picking up the win in relief in game two, she tossed 2.1 innings, allowing one earned run on four hits.
Hanna Hollis, in her first collegiate appearance in game one, threw 2.1 scoreless innings with four hits.
LAGRANGE KEY STATISTICS
-Kelsea Moody and Abby Vanhoose each had three hits for the Panthers in game one. Lauren Swearngin had three hits in game two, including a double.
-Claire Chamberlain (1-0) tossed a complete game win in the opener, allowing one earned on five hits and seven strikeouts.
UP NEXT
Sewanee makes the short drive down Interstate 85 to Montgomery, Ala. on Sunday for a doubleheader with Huntingdon.
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