LAKELAND, Fla. (February 17, 2023) - The Truett McConnell University softball team hit the road for a weekend Florida road trip, with their second stop on Friday at No. 4 Southeastern University. The Lady Bears upset the Fire with a 6-4 victory in game 1, recording seven hits and seeing a strong performance from the pitching staff, while carrying the momentum into game two for a 4-3 upset to secure the sweep. TMU rises to a record of 4-2 on the season, while the Fire fall to 2-2.

GAME 1 | 6-4
The Lady Bears hit the board early with a Grace Folds walk and Justine Gorton sacrifice bunt to put Folds in scoring position. A Briley Lawson single to center field scored TMU's first run of the day (1-0). A double to left field from Kyndall Gipson moved runners into scoring position once again, followed by Cassie Boatright capitalizing on a defensive error to add to the Lady Bears' score (3-0). Both teams remained even in play until the top of the third saw a Lawson solo home run to left field to add to TMU's lead (4-0). The Fire responded with hits of their own to score their first run of the game (4-1). A pivotal sixth inning from the Lady Bears was sparked by a Gipson walk paired with a sacrifice bunt from Hailey Cronic to move Gipson into scoring position. An electric Boatright home run over the left field fence saw TMU collect their final runs of the game (6-1). The Fire recorded several hits to tack on runs, but a stellar pitching performance from Olivia Haag shut the Fire down to secure the Lady Bears' game one victory (6-4).

LEADERS
Lawson led the way offensively, going 2-3 at the plate with two RBIs and two runs while Gipson was 2-2 at the plate with one run. Folds and Boatright were 1-4 at the plate individually, with Boatright collecting four RBIs.

Pitcher Kyleigh Sanders collected her second win, recording two strikeouts over five innings. Haag collected her first save of the season, recording three strikeouts and only allowing three hits over two innings.

GAME 2 | 4-3
The Lady Bears continued to rally together in game two, where the top of the first inning was set in motion with a Gorton double to left field. A Lawson single scored the Lady Bears' first run of the game, followed by an Ellie Abner home run to left field to put TMU ahead early (3-0). The Fire quickly responded with hits of their own to close in on the Lady Bears (3-2). The top of the second inning was sparked by a Gorton single along with Lawson and Abner walks to load the bases. A clutch Cronic single to left field saw TMU score their final run of the game (4-2). The bottom of the fifth inning saw the Fire respond with hits of their own to shorten the deficit (4-3). With a runner on third, a strikeout from Gipson secured the Lady Bears' second win and sweep over the fire (4-3).

LEADERS
Gorton led the way offensively, going 2-4 at the plate with two runs while Lawson was 1-2 at the plate with one run and one RBI. Abner was seen going 1-2 at the plate with two RBIs and one run.

Pitcher Gipson recorded her second win of the season, recording one strikeout and only allowing two hits over five innings.

UP NEXT
The Lady Bears conclude their Florida road trip with a double-header at Warner University on Saturday, February 18. The first game is set for 12:00 p.m.