by Charlie Bateman | Feb 28, 2016 | News Slider, Sports
Coach Jeff Forehand has set numerous records during his 10 seasons as baseball head coach and this weekend he added another record to his list. After defeating Western Michigan 1-0 in the final game of the Mule Mix Classic, Forehand received his 250th win as head coach. “This win is a tribute to all the players that have played baseball since I have been here,” Forehand said. “I am just glad that I can be a part of that success.” Lipscomb swept the three-game tournament 13-6, 8-6 and 1-0 to extend their record to 5-2 for the season. In the first game, Lipscomb defeated Miami-Ohio 13-6. Lipscomb’s biggest hit of the game came on a grand slam by freshman Zeke Dodson. “That was fun to watch. I think the reason he got the grand slam was his patience at the plate,” Forehand said. “He was able to get a 3-1 count and get a fastball that he liked and put it over the left field wall.” In the second game, the Bisons defeated Army West Point 8-6. The Black Knights scored four runs in the sixth inning, but the Bisons had a strong relief performance that gave them the win. Sophomore Jeffrey Passantino picked up his second win of the season in the game against Army West Point. The last game of the Mule Mix Classic was a low scoring game as the Bisons defeated Western Michigan 1-0. Sophomore Brady Puckett pitched seven innings, giving up no runs to record his second win of the year. “I started out trying to find the zone early,” Puckett said. “I threw mostly hard stuff...
by KJ Lauck | Feb 28, 2016 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb women’s basketball team (5-24, 2-12) fell to Kennesaw State (11-18, 6-8) 68-64 Saturday on senior day in Allen Arena. Seniors Ashley Southern, Chandler Cooper, and Kelli Smith were honored as they played their final game for the purple and gold. “We’ll miss them more as people than players,” head coach Greg Brown said. Southern finished with a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Cooper finished with five points to go along with two assists and two rebounds. Smith pulled down six rebounds and made two free-throws for Lipscomb. Aareon Smith led the Owls with 15 points going 5-7 from behind the arc. Three other Owls scored in double-figures as well. The Lady Bisons found themselves down by eight at halftime, 33-25. But in the third quarter Lipscomb took a 47-41 lead. The Lady Bisons held a one-point lead at the end of the third quarter, 49-48. “The second half was much better offensively,” Brown said. The first three minutes of the fourth quarter was all Kennesaw State, as the Owls held a 54-49 lead. Southern went on a personal mission and gave the Lady Bisons a one-point lead with under five minutes remaining. “You want to put yourself in position to win one at the end like that,” Brown said. Alex Banks hit back-to-back threes late in the fourth quarter to give the Bisons a 64-58, lead. But a 10-0 run from the Owls gave Kennesaw State the lead for good. “We just had too many key defensive breakdowns, like that lay-up at the end,” Brown said. The Lady Bisons will play at Jacksonville for the first round of the...
by Leslie Newman | Feb 27, 2016 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb women’s tennis team won their fifth win in a row with a 7-0 win over Belmont Friday night at the Whitworth Racquet Center. The win marks the first time in program history that the Lady Bisons have swept rival Belmont in Battle of the Boulevard. “The battle was a beat down,” head coach Jamie Aid said. “The atmosphere of the crowd was a lot better than at the last match against Austin Peay last weekend.” Three doubles teams played. Melissa Kromer and Laura were in a close match but were able to finish 7-5. Danielle Kinnen and Hannah Gamage finished 4-5 and Kate Kandyba and Hanna Victorsson finished 6-1. The wins carried out in singles play as well. The singles results are as follows: Hannah Gamage (LIP) def. Lindsey Whitehead (BEL) 7-5, 6-3 Kate Kandyba (LIP) def. Kendall Warren (BEL) 4-6, 7-5, (10-4) Laura Kent (LIP) def. Laura Van Eeckhaudt (BEL) 6-2, 6-3 Hanna Victorsson (LIP) def. Suzanna Stapler (BEL) 6-4, 6-2 Melissa Kromer (LIP) def. Abbie Mather (BEL) 6-2, 4-0 (Retired) Danielle Kinnen (LIP) def. Maddie Gilley (BEL) 6-0, 6-1 “Our goal is the gain confidence for conference in mid march, there should be confidence in doubles and singles,” Aid said. “After each match we can either leave better or worse and I believe that we left better than we were before.” The Lady Bisons will return to Whitworth Saturday at 7 p.m. to face Southeast Missouri State. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
by Danielle Kinnen | Feb 26, 2016 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb men’s basketball lost 73-57 in their final regular season game against Kennesaw State on Thursday evening. “Tonight was a miserable performance and a miserable night on our bench,” Lipscomb head coach Casey Alexander said. “We’ve got some soul searching to do or it will be a quick tournament appearance for us next week.” The Owls took control of the first half (39-36) as they managed to shift the energy in their favor after trailing the Bisons by 10 points at the beginning. “We never really had any momentum,” Alexander said. “We were able to keep the game close but we weren’t doing anything spectacular by any shape or form – we got what we deserved.” The Bisons made only 4-of-32 three pointers on the night. “We say the right things but there wasn’t anyone at this game tonight that saw the right things from my team.” Alexander said. “We got to play more, we got to play harder, execute better and just perform better.” The Purple and Gold were led by freshman guard Garrison Mathews with 16 points. Last week Mathews received the Atlantic Sun Newcomer of the week. He was joined by sophomore George Brammeier, who scored 15 points. Lipscomb’s defense play kept them in the game, but they were unable to turn it around. “We weren’t making any plays,” Alexander said. “There was never a moment in the game where we felt things were turning in our direction.” Lipscomb honored J.J. Butler, Talbot Denny, Dylan Greene, Charles Smith and David Wishon in a pregame ceremony in their final home regular season game. The Bisons open the 2016 A-Sun Championship as the...
by Charlie Bateman | Feb 24, 2016 | News Slider, Sports
The Bisons sit at fifth place in the Atlantic Sun conference, having won seven of the last 10 games. If the team defeats Kennesaw State on Thursday, and if North Florida beats Jacksonville on Thursday, the Bisons will be guaranteed a top four seed in the playoffs, possibly being seeded as the number two team in the tournament. The Atlantic Sun men’s basketball tournament features a new format this year. The top four seeds in the conference will host the first round of the tournament at their respective gymnasium. The top two seeds of each round will host a round in the tournament as well. Because of this, Lipscomb could possibly host more than one playoff round at home. In the event of a tie, there are four ways to determine which team advances in the tournament, according to Atlantic Sun representative Patrick McCoy. First, the season record of all teams involved will be weighed against one another. The win/loss record between the two teams would determine which team moves on. Second, the winning percentage of all teams involved will be taken under advisement. The team with the highest winning percentage would receive the highest seed placement. Third, if the seeds are not determined by one of the preceding two tie-breakers, all tied teams will compare winning percentages against the highest seeded team that is not part of the tie. In this case, all teams would compare win/loss records with the number one seeded team, North Florida. If the first three possible tie-breakers fail to select the seed placement, the ratings power index (RPI) of each team will be taken into consideration. This is a ranking system based on a team’s...
by Todd Lamberth | Feb 21, 2016 | News Slider, Sports
Despite dropping the season opener 13-7, the Bisons bounced back to take the series against the Colonels with a 4-2 win on Saturday and a 3-2 win on Sunday afternoon at Ken Dugan Field. Eastern Kentucky took the game on opening day with 20 runs scored and two homeruns. The Colonels jumped out to a 4-0 lead, including a three run first inning, before the Bisons could get their offense going in the fourth inning. Lipscomb was able to tie the score at 4-4 by the end of the fifth inning. Eastern Kentucky took an 8-7 lead into the ninth inning. The Colonels extended the lead to two runs before a grand slam put the score at 13-8, a deficit the Bisons could not overcome. Despite the loss, Lipscomb head coach Jeff Forehand was pleased with the offensive output he saw. “It goes without saying that we are obviously disappointed with the loss, but I think we have a chance to be really dynamic offensively,” Forehand said. “It’s hard to win games when you give up double-digit runs.” On Saturday, sophomore pitcher Jeffrey Passantino stifled the Eastern Kentucky hitters. Passantino finished his first start of the new season after seven strong innings. On his way to a 4-2 win, Passantino allowed seven hits and one run while striking out seven Colonels and not walking any. “Jeff had a great game on the mound. You don’t really realize it as the game is going on, but when you look at the stats and see his numbers, it doesn’t get much better than that,” Forehand said. The Bisons were boosted on offense by their three, four and...