Softball Scores Four in Seventh Inning to Split with Reinhardt

ATHENS, Tenn.- The softball team split a pair of one-run differences on Wednesday. The team fell in the first game of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) doubleheader against the Reinhardt University Lady Eagles 3-2 but scored four runs in the seventh inning of the second game to win 8-7.

Game One:

Reinhardt scored two runs in the top of the first inning to take the first lead of the game. TWU got on the board in the second inning.

Mackenzie Baldwin opened the inning with a triple. Avery Hope brought Baldwin in with a sacrifice fly, making the score 2-1. Reinhardt scored another run in the top of the third to move the lead to 3-1. In the bottom of the third, Carlynn Atamaniuk and Macy Chastain both hit bunt singles to get on base. Each runner moved a base on Taylor Penning's sacrifice bunt and Atamaniuk brought the Lady Bulldogs within a run of the lead again on Bailee Phillips' RBI ground out. The team was unable to get another run on the board though to fall by a one-run margin.

Game Two:

Similiar to the first game, Reinhardt took the opening lead of the game in the first inning. Dissimilar to the first game, the Lady Bulldogs took over the lead in the bottom of the first inning.

Penning was the first run of the game for TWU. After hitting a double, Penning got to third on a Phillips single and scored on a Baldwin single. A fielder's choice got Phillips out at third but Baldwin scored on Tatum Massengale's double, giving the team a 2-1 advantage.

The Lady Bulldogs entered the bottom of the third trailing 5-2. By the end of the thing, the Reinhardt lead was only one run. Penning opened the inning with a single and got to third on a Phillips single. A fielder's choice on Baldwin's hit put runners on the corners. A sacrifice fly by Hope gave the team a run as Penning scored while Massengale recorded her second RBI of the game, this time with an RBI single. The fifth and seventh innings saw the opponents score one run each, making the score 7-4 to begin the bottom of the seventh.

Three consecutive singles by Chastain, Penning, and Phillips put Tennessee Wesleyan in business with the bases loaded. Baldwin kept the bases loaded with a single as Chastain came home to score to cut the Reinhard lead to three runs. Hope's second sacrifice fly of the game cut the lead down to two runs as Penning scored. Phillips tagged up as well to get to third. Massengale came to the plate and hit a grounder that resulted in a fielder's choice, giving Phillips the chance to score and tie the game. The play from the hit continued though as on the fielder's choice though, a throwing error kept Baldwin alive on the bases and gave her the time to reach home to give the Lady Bulldogs a 8-7 walk-off win.

Massengale led the offense with three RBIs while Hope had two RBIs. Isabella Jenkins got the pitching win.

TWU (10-7, 8-6 AAC) will be back on their home field on Friday for an AAC doubleheader against Kentucky Christian University. The game is set to begin at 2:00 p.m.