SAC Softball Championship Day One Recaps

No. 4 Tusculum 9, No. 5 Lincoln Memorial 2

HARROGATE, Tenn. -- Senior pitcher Kelly King tossed a complete game and the fifth-seeded Lincoln Memorial Lady Railsplitters committed four untimely errors as the fifth-seeded Tusculum Pioneers advanced in the opening round of the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Championship, 9-2, on Thursday at Dorothy Neely Field in Harrogate, Tennessee. Tusculum moves on to play the winner of top-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne and No.8 Catawba at 12:30 on Friday, while Lincoln Memorial faces the loser of that contest of the L-R/Catawba bout in at 10 a.m. in Middlesboro.

Paige Sneed paced the Pioneers at the plate with a 3-for-3 day that included three RBI, while Kaytlin Stroinski posted two hits with two runs scored and a walk. Both Tavi Parris and Katie Brennan scored two runs apiece with 1-for-3 outings.

The Lady Railsplitters, meanwhile, were led by senior Kirstin Toole, who went 3-for-3 with three singles. Jennifer Moose was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored, while Emilee Solomon drove in a run with a single.

The Pioneers pulled away late with a four-run flourish in the bottom of the sixth, but the Lady Railsplitters aided their earlier efforts with a number of defensive miscues. Solomon propped Lincoln Memorial to a 1-0 lead with an RBI-single in the top of the second, but the Pioneers answered with two runs in the bottom half of that frame. A hard hit ball by Tavi Parris skipped over the glove of the LMU shortstop, while a muffed throw on a potential double play ball extended the inning even further. Tusculum capitalized with a run-scoring single from Sneed and a RBI-walk by Carolyn Williamson.

The Pioneers added an insurance run in the fourth as pinch runner Leah Powell advanced to second on a wild pitch, moved to third on a ground out and scored on another wild pitch. That run was offset by the Lady Railsplitters in the fifth as Jennifer Moose doubled and scored on Payton Bruce's single back up the box.

Holding a 4-2 advantage, the Pioneers scored six-unanswered runs to put the game out of reach. An error at second base gave the Pioneers life in the fifth as they tacked on a run on the miscue while adding another on an RBI hit-by-pitch. Nicole Ball's two-run double paced the four-run sixth frame that bolstered the Pioneers' advantage to 9-2.

The Lady Railsplitters put two runners aboard in the top of the seventh, but All-SAC Honorable Mention pitcher Kelly King dusted off her complete game by inducing a pair of fly outs and a ground out. King allowed nine hits and two earned runs with three strikeouts in seven innings of work, picking up the win on her 99-pitch outing.

No. 3 Wingate 6, No. 6 Brevard 0

HARROGATE, Tenn. – Sophomore pitcher Stacey Houser was dominant in the circle for No.3 Wingate (33-16), tossing a complete-game shutout to lead the Bulldogs to a 6-0 victory over the sixth-seeded Brevard Tornados (22-24) in the opening round of the 2014 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Championship on Thursday at Dorothy Neely Field. Wingate advances to the winner's bracket to square off against the winner of No.2 Anderson and No.7 Carson-Newman at 10 a.m. on Friday, while Brevard plays the loser of that contest at 12:30 in Middlesboro, Kentucky.

All-South Atlantic Conference First Team selection Houser controlled the pace from start to finish, retiring 10 of the first 11 batters she faced en route to a complete-game shutout. Houser surrendered only three hits with four strikeouts, finishing off the contest by setting down nine of the last 10 Brevard hitters.

Wingate second baseman and leadoff hitter Mellena Helms had a hand in three of the Bulldogs' six runs as she set off the first frame with a single before scoring on an Alexis Burrell double. Two innings later, Helms extended the Wingate lead to 2-0 with a leadoff solo home run over the left-field wall, her 10th of the season. She capped her 2-for-3 showing by drawing a leadoff walk in the sixth and scoring on a sacrifice fly out off the bat of Kayla Saliga.

Helms' effort alone would have been enough to take advantage of Houser's performance on the mound, but the Bulldogs piled it on in the bottom of the fifth as three runs scored on five hits. Katie McLaurin drove a one-out double over the left fielder's head, and nine-hole hitter Amy Wingfield plated her with a single that squeaked past the Tornado second baseman. A Taylor Laskey two-out single brought Wingfield in as she narrowly beat the throw home. Alexis Burrell put the finishing touches on the inning, ripping an RBI-single that was deflected at third base.

Along with Helms, Burrell went 3-for-4 with two RBI, while Laskey contributed three singles with an RBI and a walk.

Casey Whitaker, Lauren Parker and Emily Boykin collected the only three hits of the contest for the Brevard Tornados, while Jamie Hrobak was saddled with the loss after allowing 13 hits and six earned runs in six innings pitched.

No. 2 Anderson 4, No. 7 Carson-Newman 3

HARROGATE, Tenn. -- All-SAC Second Team selection Katelynn Howser stranded the bases loaded in the first and last frame, preserving a 4-3 win for the second-seeded Anderson Trojans over the seventh-seeded Carson-Newman Eagles on day one of the 2014 Food Lion SAC Softball Championship in Harrogate, Tennessee. The Trojans (39-10) advance to the winner's bracket for a 10 a.m. bout against No.3 Wingate on Friday, while the Eagles (32-17) take on Brevard in the loser's bracket at 12:30 in Middlesboro, Kentucky.

The first three Carson-Newman batters of the game reached safely as Kelli Hensley walked, while Elayna Siebert and Sara Kelly singled in back-to-back at-bats to load the bases. But Anderson starter Katelyn Howser wiggled out of early trouble by inducing a fly out, a strikeout and a groundout from the meat of the Eagles' order.

The Trojans then drew first blood as Danielle Swygert and Rebecca Martin singled in front of eight-hole hitter Bri Cason, who belted a two-run triple into the gap in right-center field. It took only one swing for the Eagles to erase that deficit, though, as reigning South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year Brittany Hefner belted a two-run bomb over the left-field fence to knot the contest at 2-2.

The bottom of the Anderson batting order produced again and propelled the Trojans back into the driver's seat with a couple of run-scoring hits in the fourth frame. Martin walked and scored all the way from first on Laura Jansky's double down the left-field line. After a lineout, nine-hole hitter Charlotte Sieber came through with a two-out, two-bagger into the gap in right-center.

The Eagles closed the gap to 4-3 in the top of the fifth with a two-out single off the bat of Haley Taylor, which also moved the tying run to third, but Brittany Bass grounded out to halt the rally short.

Carson-Newman saw another opportunity slip through its fingers in the final plate appearance as Siebert and Kelley singled to put two runners on with no outs. After a fielder's choice and a pop out, Taylor singled to load the bases with two outs, but, Howser stranded the bases loaded for the second time. Bass made the final out as first baseman Danielle Swygert snagged a rising liner to end the contest.

Swygert also led the Trojans at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles. Cason notched two of the Trojans' four RBI with her two-run double in the second. Howser picked up the win despite allowing 12 hits in seven innings. She fanned six and walked one while allowing three earned runs.

Siebert led the Eagles with a perfect 4-for-4 showing at the plate, while Sara Kelley was 3-for-4 with a run scored. Hefner and Taylor added a pair of hits apiece. Carson-Newman stranded 10 total runners in the contest.

No. 8 Catawba 6, No. 1 Lenoir-Rhyne 3 (16 innings)

HARROGATE, Tenn. -- Catawba sophomore right-hander Carley Tysinger broke the NCAA Division II record for strikeouts as the eighth-seeded Indians outlasted the top-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne University Bears, 6-3, in 16 innings on the first day of the 2014 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Championship in Harrogate, Tennessee. Catawba (25-19) moves on to the winner's bracket to face No.4 Tusculum at 12:30 on Friday, while Lenoir-Rhyne (38-12) turns right back around to face Lincoln Memorial at 10 a.m. in Middlesboro, Kentucky.

All-SAC Second Team selection Tysinger turned in an absolutely dazzling performance on the mound for the Indians, breaking the NCAA Division II record with 27 strikeouts, falling only one shy of matching the NCAA record across all levels. Tysinger tossed 15 2/3 of the 16 inning-marathon, picking up the win after throwing 282 pitches and allowing only two earned runs.

After trading zeroes through four frames, the Indians provided Tysinger with some run support in the top of the fifth as Gina Gerone belted an RBI-double, while Sydney Hyder plated Gerone with an infield single. Catawba bolstered its lead to 3-0 in the next frame as a throwing error allowed pinch runner Caroline Turner to score.

Tysinger completely befuddled the Bears through five frames, but Lenoir-Rhyne found a chink in her armor late to fight back and tie the game. Lauren Elder doubled in Ashley Oliver, who was walked, to bring the first run across in the bottom of the sixth, while Ciera Cockerham singled in Brittany Coursen in the next at-bat.

The Bears entered the bottom of the seventh still staring up at a 3-2 deficit, but a leadoff triple by Jody Mizelle provided Lenoir-Rhyne with a lift. Two batters later, Mizelle scored on a passed ball to send the game into extra innings.

It would take nine more innings before another run crossed the plate as the Indians broke the contest wide open in the top of the 16th frame. A fielding error and a Hyder single put two runners on with no outs, while Natalie Naturile bunted the runners into scoring position. Taylor Adams took advantage of that opportunity, driving a two-run single into center field. Two batters later, Tysinger provided herself with some insurance, knocking a run-scoring single back up the middle.

Tysinger's outing for the ages overshadowed a stellar relief effort by Brandi Hole, who tossed 10 1/3 innings for the Bears. Hole allowed nine hits over that span and struck out seven, limiting the Indians to only one earned run.

Tysinger, Hyder and Naturile paced the Indians, who posted 16 hits, with three hits apiece. Lenoir-Rhyne finished the lengthy affair with 14 hits, led by Mizelle's 4-for-8 showing.