SEWANEE, Tenn. – Sewanee pounded out 11 hits, including two hits and two RBIs from
Madilyn Parker, and three Tigers pitchers overcame shaky defense in the first inning, tossing six shutout innings to finish the contest in a 4-3 victory over Rhodes College in softball action here Sunday, salvaging the final game of the series for the home team.
Rhodes (11-9, 2-1 SAA) scored three times in the first inning thanks to a pair of Sewanee errors but collected only four hits and no runs over the final six frames. Reagan Huskey,
Ansley Giffin and
Abbie Buckner limited the Lynx to just six hits with three walks and three strikeouts in the contest.
The Tigers (10-11, 1-2) scored twice in the second inning on an RBI single from Huskey and a sacrifice fly by
Sydney Tackett. Sewanee tied the contest in the third on an RBI single by
Christian Cain, a slow roller in the six-hole.
Maggie Barker doubled to rightcenter to leadoff the fifth for the Tigers and pinch-runner
Lucy Hensler went to third on a wild pitch. With two outs Cain's grounder hit the first base bag, popping away from Isabela Barber, allowing the run to come across for a 4-3 Sewanee edge.
Huskey allowed three unearned runs on three hits in the first two innings and Giffin worked around three walks and one hit in two-plus frames. Bucker (4-3) got the final nine outs for the win, giving up two hits with no walks and two strikeouts.
Abby Winkler and Cain each recorded two hits for the Tigers.
After two errors in the first inning, Sewanee's defense played well the rest of the way, with Barker starting a pair of doubleplays, one on a line drive and another a 5-3 twin-killing to stymie a Rhodes rally.
Gina Dudley (8-4), the second Lynx hurler, suffered the loss, allowing two runs on eight hits in four innings. Kate Ledlie posted two of Rhodes' six hits in the contest.
Athena Gonzales reached on an error to start the game, stole second and moved to third on a groundout by Kaitlyn Sun. Harper Allee-Press beat out an infield single to short, scoring a run, and she also stole second. Barber's soft liner to short went under the glove of Buckner and into leftcenter, with Allee-Press scoring on the play and Barber taking second.
With two outs Emily Pertuit singled up the middle, past a diving
Grace Black, into centerfield, plating another run for a 3-0 Rhodes lead after a half inning.
Tackett led off the bottom of the frame with a double and moved to third on Black's sacrifice bunt. Buckner walked and stole second, but Barker struck out and Winkler grounded out to end the threat.
Sewanee broke through in the second inning after a leadoff single by Parker and Cain was hit. Huskey then singled off the wall in leftcenter, scoring a run, and the runners moved to second and third on the throw back to the infield.
KK Wadkins lined out to left but Tackett plated the second run with a sac fly to rightcenter, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
In the third Buckner singled through the left side and stole second. With two outs Parker's grounder went off the glove of the pitcher, Dudley, putting runners on the corners, and Cain reached on an infield single in the six-hole, driving in Bucker and knotting the contest at three.
Sewanee continues its current 12-game homestand this Wednesday with a doubleheader against Covenant College starting at 2 p.m.
