The Lady Bisons softball team swept Ohio University Wednesday afternoon at Draper Diamond.
Game one was pretty quiet until the fourth inning. Ohio University sophomore infielder Alexia Cortez reached on an error then stole second. Cortez scored on a throwing error to give the Bobcats a 1-0 lead.
The Lady Bisons had a couple of hits through five innings, but the game-changing hit came in the sixth. Junior outfielder/infielder Gracey Aguirre got walked. Senior infielder Kristen Sturdivant hit a two-run homerun over the left center field fence to give the Lipscomb the 2-1 lead.
“We knew we were going to have to make adjustments throughout the game, and I knew going up to the plate, with Gracey on base, it was my time to step up,” Sturdivant said.
The Bobcats threatened in the seventh inning. Ohio’s senior infielder Alexandria Basquez got a leadoff single and then was bunted over to second. Sophomore pitcher Savannah Jo Dorsey hit a single to center field.
Lipscomb’s outfielder/infielder Brittany Elmore threw the tying run out at the plate. Ohio’s junior outfielder Dakota Pyles singled to load the bases with two outs. Lipscomb pitcher Ashley Anderson got a strikeout to end the game.
Anderson remains unbeaten with a 7-0 record and finished the game with seven strikeouts while giving up two hits.
“We showed great composure in that tight situation, and Ashley [Anderson] did a nice job of staying focused,” said Lady Bisons head coach Kristin Ryman.
The Lipscomb bats came to life in game two of the doubleheader. The Bobcats struck first, but the Lady Bisons answered scoring two runs in the first off a two RBI triple from redshirt senior infielder Kelsey Cartwright.
In the second inning, junior outfielder/infielder Brianne Welch doubled to left field and scored on a single by Elmore to give the Lady Bisons a 3-1 lead.
Ohio University scored one in the fourth. Basquez crossed the plate when Dorsey doubled to left field.
Senior catcher/infielder Rena’ Cothron hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth to extend Lipscomb’s lead 4-2.
Aguirre leadoff the fifth with a double followed by a single by Kelsey Cartwright. Aguirre scored on a wild pitch. Kelsey Cartwright scored on a double from her sister, freshman infielder/outfielder/pitcher Mimi Cartwright, to give Lipscomb a 6-2 lead.
The Bobcats scored one in the sixth. The Lady Bisons scored two on a double from Aguirre to score Elmore and junior infielder Paige Neely. Kelsey Cartwright singled then was driven in by Sturdivant’s double to left center field giving Lipscomb the 9-3 lead.
Ohio University scored one in the seventh. Lipscomb sophomore Tanner Sanders, 7-1, won the second game. She gave up eight hits and four runs while walking three and struck out two.
The Lady Bisons improve to 17-3, winning four straight. Ohio University falls to 12-8.
Lipscomb play Florida Gulf Coast this weekend at Draper Diamond. A doubleheader will be played on Saturday at 1 p.m. and and a game on Sunday will be played at 1 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics