by Gemikal Prude | Apr 8, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
A game that called for extra innings against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga didn’t end up in the favor of the Lady Bisons as they took a 7-4 loss at Draper Diamond at Smith Stadium Wednesday night. Lipscomb showed they were ready to play by getting the first three possible outs, leaving the first inning tied. At the bottom of the third, junior Brittany Elmore hit a double bringing senior Brianne Welch home to get things going in Lipscomb’s favor with a 1-0 start. The momentum the Lady Bisons built from defense was answered through their offense, bringing the score 2-1 at the bottom of the fifth. Lipscomb extended its lead 4-1 in the sixth, but the Lady Mocs brought the game to a tie. The innings were left scoreless until the ninth, when the Lady Bisons were back at bat with an opposing score of 7-4 lurking over them. With nine total strikeouts compared to Chattanooga’s one, the Lady Bisons weren’t able to keep the momentum in their favor. Lipscomb softball will hold a “Celebration of 20 Years of Lipscomb Softball” this weekend as they take on North Florida in an Atlantic Sun series. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
by Erin Turner | Apr 8, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
Senior Josh Lee made his way back to where his college baseball career began when he provided the firepower to lift the Bisons past his former team, No. 1 Vanderbilt, Tuesday night. Lee drove in three runs for the Lipscomb baseball team to help guide them to a 3-1 win at Hawkins Field. Before coming to Lipscomb, Lee was recruited by Vandy and played three games for the Commodores his freshman year. In 2013, he transferred to Central Arizona Community College before landing at Lipscomb his junior year. “Once I got on Lipscomb’s campus last year I knew this was home for me,” Lee said. “It’s where I was meant to be.” Lee said that although Vandy was not the right fit for him, he enjoyed building relationships with the coaches and players there. Although brief, his experience there helped him prepare for this game. “It was definitely a different feeling [playing on Hawkins Field] than any other game we have had, but it’s a place I was very familiar with, so I knew what to expect in terms of the crowd and how the field was going to play and what I was going to get from the opposing team,” Lee said. Lee said he followed the advice of his father when he stepped up to the plate. “I didn’t want to make the moment too big,” Lee said. “That’s what my dad always told me to do — just relax, have fun, see the ball, hit it gap to gap and just have that in the back of my mind.” Tuesday night, Lee batted in runs in the first...
by Charlie Bateman | Apr 7, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb softball took the doubleheader 3-2 and 13-1 from the Memphis Tigers at Draper Diamond at Smith Stadium Tuesday afternoon. The Lady Bisons came out dressed in pink jerseys to raise awareness for breast cancer. In the first game, Memphis got a two-run homer by catcher Haley Ross in the top of the second. Lipscomb tied it up in the bottom of the fourth, with two runs scored on a bases-loaded single by freshman Caitlin Plocheck. Plocheck broke the tie in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run. “Plocheck is a very talented hitter,” Lipscomb coach Kristin Ryman said. “The quality of her at-bats seem to get better and better.” Lipscomb continued its clutch hitting in the second game, with a final score of 13-1. The Lady Bisons scored a season high 12 runs in the bottom of the second. The major hit of the inning was a grand slam by junior Baylee Williams. “She has an effortless swing,” Ryman said. “It doesn’t always look explosive, but she has good hands.” Senior Brianne Welch had the other big hit in the inning, with a two-run homer that actually bounced off the scoreboard. “Brianne has as much raw power as anyone on the team,” Ryman said. “When she gets a hold of one, it is going to go out of the ballpark.” The Memphis Tigers played Lipscomb close in the first game, but could not solve junior Tanner Sanders’ pitching in the second game. Sanders not only got her first save in the first game, but she also pitched a complete second game. The Tigers scored its only run...
by Charlie Bateman | Mar 31, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
Mississippi State took down Lipscomb in a 1-0 win Tuesday afternoon at Draper Diamond at Smith Stadium. Lipscomb and Mississippi State were tied at zero until the fifth inning. It was not until the Bulldogs’ designated player Mackenzie Toler got a run-scoring single in the top of the fifth to make the only run in the competition. Junior pitcher Tanner Stevens gave up one run and had nine strikeouts on the game. “Tanner was really attacking the zone,” Lipscomb coach Kristin Ryman said. “She did a tremendous job. You can not ask for more than what she gave us today.” Ryman said she hopes that Stevens will continue her excellent pitching by hitting her spots for future starts. Mississippi sent out its number one starter and ace hurler Alexis Silkwood in the circle. Silkwood had four strikeouts and allowed two hits. Ryman was not surprised that Mississippi had its number one starter go against Lipscomb. “She is doing some good things for them,” Ryman said. Freshman Caitlin Plocheck extended her hitting streak to five games. Plocheck had a single in the bottom of the second. “Her last two at-bats were still quality,” Ryman said. “We are starting to see what we knew she was capable of. That is exciting for us as we move into the last half of conference play.” Ryman said she hopes Plocheck and others will become strong hitters as they go through the rest of the season. Lipscomb will travel to Florida for some Atlantic Sun action with Jacksonville this weekend. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
by Chad Johnson | Mar 29, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb baseball team took home the weekend series against Georgetown after a 4-1 victory on Sunday afternoon at Ken Dugan Field at Stephen L. Marsh Stadium. After dropping the first game 8-5 on Friday night, the Bisons bounced back on Saturday afternoon to claim an 8-3 victory. With the win on Sunday, Lipscomb improved to 17-8 on the season and 2-1 against the Hoyas in the all-time series. Lipscomb coach Jeff Forehand gave credit to Georgetown and said that this non-conference win should help the team heading into conference play. “Georgetown has a solid team; they are scrappy and hard to play against,” Forehand said. “This was a good series win for our club with conference play just a week away. Hopefully we can continue to build the momentum.” Several players contributed to win on the offensive end led by senior outfielder Jonathan Allison who went 3-for-3, including two RBI and one run scored. “We are beginning to expect that from Johnny [Allison] every time out,” Forehand said. “Hitting is difficult, but he is really swinging a good bat right now. When we get runners on base, everyone looks forward to him coming to the plate. He is producing every week, so hopefully he can continue that.” On the mound, junior right-hander Denton Norman held the Hoyas in check. He gave up just one run and four hits in eight and one-third innings of work. “It was a solid performance for Denton today,” Forehand said. “We always talk about how the starter can’t win us the game, but he can put us in a position to win, and that is exactly what we got from him...
by Charlie Bateman | Mar 25, 2015 | Sports
Thanks to an error from the Belmont catcher in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Bisons won the Battle of the Boulevard 10-9 on Tuesday night at Ken Dugan Field at Stephen L. Marsh Stadium. Sophomore Hunter Hanks scored the winning run for the Bisons after freshman Tyler Brown put the ball into play, forcing Belmont catcher Alec Diamond to hurry his throw. The ball sailed past the first baseman giving Lipscomb the victory. The hit by Brown was his first walk-off of the season. “I was honestly caught in the moment,” Brown said. “It was my first walk-off, and I had a great time. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates.” Brown was the designated hitter for the Bisons, but that didn’t cause him to feel any more pressure than normal during hit at-bat. “It is my role on the team this year,” Brown said. “I had to stay calm and do my job.” Belmont jumped on the board first with two runs in the top of the first inning, but Lipscomb answered with three runs. The Bisons scored two runs in the bottom of the third with a big hit from senior Jonathan Allison. Lipscomb coach Jeff Forehand called a double steal that brought freshman Michael Gigliotti home from third. Lipscomb scored two more runs after sacrifice flies from Allison and Gigliotti. In the bottom of the seventh, the Bisons scored two runs on a sacrifice bunt from redshirt freshman Allan Hooker and an RBI single from freshman Jeffrey Crisan. Redshirt junior Jaesung Hwang started the game for the Bisons, but after Hwang left the game, the Bisons bullpen blew a seven run lead in the top of...