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 five hitters who went 3 for 10 on the day with all four RBIs.
Sophomore Brady Puckett, the Bisons 6-foot-8 pitcher, went seven innings, allowing just two runs on six hits without walking any Colonels and striking out five batters.
Puckett allowed his only runs in the first inning before shutting down Eastern Kentucky over his final six.
Down 2-1 in the fourth inning, freshman Tevin Symonette stepped up with a runner on base and sent one over the left field wall for his first career homerun. That homerun would prove to be the deciding run in the 3-2 Bison victory.
“This was a good win for us today,” Forehand said. “To be able to lose the opener on Friday and fight our way back to take the series shows you a lot about this group of guys in the dugout.”
The Bisons return to the diamond on Tuesday when they travel to Murfreesboro and face MTSU. They will then host the Mule Mix Classic at Stephen L. Marsh Stadium starting on Friday.
Photo Courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics