Softball Sweeps Senior Day Doubleheader Against Pikeville

ATHENS, Tenn.- The softball team had an exciting day on Friday. Along with it being Senior Day, the Lady Bulldogs swept the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) doubleheader against the University of Pikeville Lady Bears with a run-rule win and a walk-off win.

Game One:

Senior connections got the first run on board. Taylor Penning got on base with a single and moved to second on a Gracie Calton single. Hallie DeArman pushed the first run through with a single, giving the team a 1-0 lead. 

In the fourth inning, TWU a senior scored another run. Mackenzie Baldwin opened the inning with a single and got to second on a Penning sac bunt. After a passed ball allowed Baldwin to get to third, Tatum Massengale brought Baldwin in with a single. 

The majority of the runs in the game for the Lady Bulldogs were scored in the fifth inning. Carlynn Atamaniuk laid down a bunt single to get to first. The runner moved to third on Macy Chastain's single. A fielder's choice on Courtney Sneed's hit scored Atamaniuk to move the lead to 3-0. Bailee Phillips followed with a double that emptied the bases, making the lead 5-0. Pinch-runner Ali Richards scored on a Penning double. A ground out move Penning closer to scoring at third, and a wild pitch gave Penning the space to score, giving the team a 7-0 lead at the end of the fifth inning. 

Phillips, who started the game in the circle, ended the game at the plate. A second bunt single got Atamaniuk on first, and a fielder's choice by Brooke Freeman moved Atamaniuk to second. Atamaniuk moved to third on a ground out, and officially ended the game an inning early on the run rule, scoring on Phillips' single to give the team an eight-run lead in the 8-0 win.

Phillips finished with three RBIs at the plate and nine strikeouts in the circle. 

Game Two:

The second game saw a different story written.

The teams exchanged runs in the fourth inning. Penning became the run for the team after getting on base with a single. A fielding error on Calton's at-bat moved Penning into scoring position at second base, and a single by DeArman helped the team tie the game 1-1. Pikeville broke the tie with three runs in the sixth inning.

Trailing 4-1 entering the bottom of the seventh, the four hitters of the half inning recorded hits for the Lady Bulldogs. Atamaniuk immediately got into scoring position with a triple to begin the hitting. Chastain cut the lead down to two runs as her single brought in Atamaniuk. Sneed followed with a single to put the game-tying run on base. Phillips ended the game for a second time, this time with a walk-off home run that resulted in three runs and a 5-4 win to sweep the Senior Day doubleheader. 

TWU (21-10, 17-9 AAC) will be back on their home field on Wednesday for a single game against No. 3 University of the Cumberlands. The game is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m.