by Cole Gray | Mar 20, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb baseball’s bats started to come out of winter hibernation as the Bisons swept the Illinois State Redbirds at Dugan Field in a weekend series marked by great weather. Lipscomb batted .326 in the series. The Bisons are currently batting .236 as a team, next-to-last in the ASUN. The heart of the order fueled the Bisons’ 10-8 win in the back-and-forth first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Fifth, sixth and seventh hitters Jake Perry, Blake Thomas and Von Watson drove in nine runs on six hits, including home runs from Perry and Watson. Starting pitcher Brady Puckett was ambushed for three runs in the top of the first inning by the Redbirds, but the Bisons took the lead in the bottom half of the opening frame thanks to a two-out rally punctuated by Perry’s three-run bomb and an RBI single from Watson. Watson added a three-run shot of his own in the bottom of the seventh to tie his career-high of four runs batted in. It was Watson’s first homer of the season. “It was so good to see him come out and swing the bat well,” coach Jeff Forehand said on Saturday. “We really need him to use this game to get going at the plate. He plays a big part in what we are trying to do.” Puckett gave up two more runs in the sixth and was replaced to start the seventh inning by lefty John Pryor, who earned the win after the Bisons executed another two-out rally in the bottom of the seventh. Illinois State loaded the bases and scored a run in the ninth against...
by Whitney Smith | Mar 19, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb (20-7) softball took on Austin Peay State University (8-13) on Saturday for a speedy doubleheader at Draper Diamond at Smith Stadium. The Bisons took the first game with a score of 3-1 and later won the second in the series 8-0 by the mercy rule. Both games each only lasted roughly an hour and a half. “That is one of the quickest doubleheaders we have ever played,” Lipscomb coach Kristin Ryman said. The first game began strong for the women in purple with pitcher Mandy Jordan getting the ball rolling with eight strikeouts in a row. The sophomore ended game one with a 1.12 ERA. “I thought Mandy threw a really great game,” Ryman said. “Austin Peay really struggled to figure her out early.” Pitcher McCarley Thomas picked up where Jordan left off, allowing only three hits in the second game and earning five strikeouts. The Governors earned their only run from center fielder Kacy Acree in the second inning. The teams will face off for one more game on Sunday before the Lady Bisons begin ASUN Conference play on March 25 against USC Upstate. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
by Tanner Allen | Mar 14, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb Bisons were swept by No. 19 Michigan after losing 5-0 Sunday afternoon. After blowing a ninth nning lead on Friday night, Lipscomb was hoping they could bounce back Sunday, but they weren’t able to pull out a win against No. 19 Michigan. “They are just a solid team all around,” head coach Jeff Forehand said. “There’s a reason why they are the 19th ranked team in the nation, and I think we learned a lot from this.” Michigan had a 2-0 lead after the top of the first inning thanks to a ground ball that drove in a run and a solo homerun from Harrison Wenson. The Bisons were never able to get on the scoreboard as they struggled from the plate the entire game. They were able to manage just two hits and struck out nine times. “I give a lot of credit to Michigan’s pitching,” coach Forehand said. “From starters to relievers, all their guys pitched really well. We got beat by a better team today.” Lipscomb’s bats struggled for the entire series against Michigan as the team hit just .177 (17-for-96) over the three-game series. Lipscomb’s best chance to score came in the bottom of the fourth when the team trailed 3-0. The Bisons had runners on first and second with no outs, but after a strikeout by sophomore outfielder Tevin Symonette, a fly out by senior infielder Hunter Hanks and then a ground out by sophomore outfielder Von Watson, Lipscomb would never threaten Michigan again. The Bisons next game is Tuesday against Belmont at Rosa Park’s...
by Anna Rogers | Mar 12, 2017 | Galleries, Sports
Stands were filled with supporters and spectators as Lipscomb University hosted the Special Olympics basketball tournament Friday and Saturday in Allen Arena. The competition featured athletes from different cities in Tennessee who came together to play, coach and cheer. Teams were allowed up to two helper players to participate in the games. Photos by Whitney Smith...
by Cole Gray | Mar 12, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
Over 400 athletes flocked to Lipscomb University for the Special Olympics Tennessee Basketball State Tournament on March 10 and 11. Special Olympics is the world’s largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities. Forty-two teams medaled in local and regional competitions across Tennessee to qualify for the tournament. The teams, made up of all ages from middle school to 71 years old, were separated into 10 divisions based on skill level. Four divisions were denoted as “Unified,” allowing up to two non-disabled partners to be on the court for each team. The round-robin tournament was held in Allen Arena, McQuiddy Gym and the Student Activity Center. Teams represented all parts of Tennessee, coming from as far as Memphis, Chattanooga and Hawkins County. Special Olympics Vice President of Sports Sean Stake estimated that there were at least 100 coaches and volunteers at the tournament. Christian Robinson, a former partner and first-time coach, led the Maury County Jokers to a second-place finish in the Blue Division. Robinson teaches physical education at King’s Daughters’ School in Columbia, Tenn., where many of his players attend school. King’s Daughters’ School is a special-education school for individuals from 7 years old to late adulthood with developmental disabilities. Robinson was a Unified partner with the Jokers until this year, when injuries pushed him to coaching. As a physical education teacher, he was used to playing with his team, but coaching was an adjustment. The Jokers led down the stretch of their final game— playing for the Blue Division gold medal— but turned the ball over multiple times in the last minute and lost by one. It was...
by Tanner Allen | Mar 11, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
Less than 24 hours before the first pitch was scheduled to be thrown, Lipscomb and No. 19 Michigan decided to change things up. Due to the winter storm scheduled to come into town Saturday, both coaches agreed it would be better to play a double-header Friday than worry about the weather on Saturday. The first game was all Michigan as it went on to earn an 8-2 victory over the Bisons. It was a pitcher’s duel between Lipscomb’s star junior Brady Puckett, and Michigan’s hard-throwing lefty, Oliver Jaskie. The two starters combined for 18 strikeouts. With Michigan hitting a 2-run home run in the 7th and a 3-run home run in the 9th, it was just to much for Lipscomb to keep up with. The second game was a much tighter battle between the two teams. With Michigan loading the bases with no one out in the top of the first inning, it looked like Michigan was picking up right where it left off. Junior pitcher Jeffery Passantino was going to make sure he gave his team a chance. With the bases loaded he struck out the next batter, and then caused the next hitter to ground into a double play keeping the game scoreless. “Both Puckett and Passantino are fighters,” Head Coach Jeff Forehand said. “They are going to put us in a position to win every game that they pitch in. We’ve just got swing the bat a little better, so we can help them out a little bit more.” The Bisons were in a good position to win the second game as they led the Wolverines...
