Returning home after a streak of away games, the Lady Bisons faced off against Tennessee State University on Wednesday, April 7 at Lipscomb’s Draper Diamond.
Overpowering TSU in both games with scores of 11-2 and 3-0, the double victory advances the Lady Bison’s overall record to 31-7.
Game 1:
The Lady Bisons opened game one with a dominant first inning. Sophomore all-star pitcher, Whitney Kiihnl, put the pressure on TSU early, backing up her title as No. 1 ranked pitcher in the NCAA in hits allowed per seven innings (2.04).
When the Lady Bisons got up to bat, they put a string of hits together, earning over half of their total runs in the first inning alone.
Senior Abby Keese sent her first of two home runs for the night sailing into the parking lot, bringing in junior Mackenzie Tucker, who got on base with a double, to put the Lady Bisons on the board 2-0.
Keese leads the Atlantic Sun conference in batting with an average of .400.
Sophomore Courtney Billington followed up Keese’s home run with a single. Shortly after Billington’s single, senior Christen Campbell smashed another home run for the Lady Bisons, bringing in Billington and upping Lipscomb’s lead to 4-0.
However, with only two outs,the Lady Bisons were not finished yet.
After being walked by TSU’s pitcher, Sophomore Mollie Mitchell stole home to add another run to the Lady Bisons lead. Freshman Breanna Thurman also scored on an RBI by Kiihnl.
The Lady Bisons entered the second inning with a 6-0 lead over TSU.
The score remained the same during the second inning and into the bottom of the third. TSU was shut down, three up three down, in both the second and third innings.
Billington hit a single to get on base, while Mitchell slammed a double past TSU. Thurman was walked, advancing the runners a base. With runners on every base, Kiihnl pulverized the ball out of the park for a grand slam, sending the Lady Bisons lead skyrocketing to 10-0.
At the top of the fourth inning, the Lady Bisons switched pitchers, sending Freshman Ali Watson to the mound.
TSU scored their only two runs in the fourth with a single batted in by an out of the park home run.
Billington hit a homerun in the bottom of the fourth inning to put the Lady Bisons up 11-2.
By the middle of the fifth inning, the Lady Bisons clinched the game with an 11-2 lead.
Game 2:
Lipscomb made another pitching change for game two. Senior Alaina Jacobson pitched a shut out game, bringing her record to 2-3.
The Lady Bisons began game two of their doubleheader against TSU with Keese’s second home run, bringing in Senior Lauren Dortwegt, to put Lipscomb up early with a 2-0 lead.
The Lady Bisons did not find another run until the bottom of the fifth inning. Keese hit a single to get on base before being replaced by pinch runner, Lacy Walker. Senior Kellie Sirus found the perfect hole, hitting a double and batting in Walker, earning her 27th RBI.
With a 3-0 lead, the Lady Bisons secured the victory, advancing their record to 31-7.
The Lady Bisons are back in action on Saturday, April 9 when they travel to Georgia to face Mercer in an A-Sun Conference match up.