CLEVELAND, Ga. (Mar. 13, 2021) – On Saturday, the Truett McConnell University softball team competed inside the TMU Softball Complex against the University of South Carolina Beaufort. Game one saw the Lady Bears fall short with a score of 4-1, but TMU came out strong in game two, securing the win with a final score of 9-3. TMU is now sitting at a record of 11-5, 4-0 AAC, while the Sand Sharks sit at a record of 8-6.
GAME ONE 1-4
The Sand Sharks struck first with a run in the top of the second (0-1) and kept the lead until the bottom of the fourth when Mattie Brooks stole home on a wild pitch to even the score (1-1). USCB responded with three more runs to take back the lead (1-4), forcing TMU to work from behind and ultimately resulted in a final score of 1-4.
LEADERS
Brooks led the way going 1-for-2 at the plate, along with a single run and walk, followed by Anna Thomas and Justine Kennington who had one hit a piece. Pitcher Bethany Hyde tallied three strikeouts on the day for five innings, including three earned runs, five hits and seven walks, while Ellie McCloy pitched two innings with one walk, two hits, and one run.
GAME TWO 9-3 | 5 INNINGS
The Lady Bears came out swinging in the first, capable of scoring six runs, which was sparked from a leadoff single from Thomas, who then stole second, advanced to third on Sara Sullivan's ground out and scored from a Briley Lawson double to deep right-center (1-0). A Sabrina Pestana Aguiar single to right scored Lawson from second (2-0), followed by an RBI single from Katherine Kozlowski, which scored Pestana Aguiar. Kennington scored TMU's fourth run on a wild pitch (4-0) and Ellie Abner capped off the inning with a single to right to score two more runs for TMU (6-0).
The Sand Sharks earned two runs of their own in the top of the third, but the Lady Bears once again capitalized in the bottom of the third, adding three more runs off of five hits (9-2). The top of the fifth saw USCB with their final run, due to the game being called because of rain, ultimately proving successful for TMU who walked away with a 9-3 victory.
LEADERS
Abner led by going 2-for-3 at the plate with three RBIs, followed by Kozlowski who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI. Kennington had two hits with two runs, Lawson had two hits with one run and one RBI and Thomas had two hits with a run of her own. Pestana Aguiar went 2-for-2 with two runs and an RBI, followed by Brooks and Price who had one hit apiece.
Pitcher Karley Hobbs clinched her fifth win, including two strikeouts, four hits, three runs and a single walk.
UP NEXT
The Lady Bears hit the road Wednesday, March 17, where they will face Tennessee Wesleyan University in an AAC match up, with game times at 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
