They say it’s not how you start but how you finish. This was the case for the Lady Bisons softball team after following up an 0-2 doubleheader day against North Alabama with a 5-2 victory on Sunday to close out the series.
The ASUN doubleheader day actually ended with Lipscomb out-hitting the Lions, but they just were not able to manufacture sustained rallies to win either game leaving more runners stranded than North Alabama. In the first game, the Lions bats were working early scoring two runs from freshman Sidney Bevis’s RBI single and senior Harley Stokes’s RBI single in the first inning. Lipscomb answered in the fourth by loading the bases and benefitting from freshman infielder Katelyn Belding’s sac fly to bring in junior outfielder Jessie Brown from third. In the fifth, it was more offense for the Lions with an RBI single from freshman Emma Broadfoot and a sac fly by junior Georgia Land. The Lady Bisons did rally in the seventh scoring two runs thanks to a sophomore Kamrie Rich RBI single, but the team couldn’t follow up with any more offense and lost the first matchup 4-3. Senior Megan Garst picked up the win and senior Breana Burke took the loss.
The second game seemed more promising in the early goings with pitching reigning supreme early on. Going into the top of the fifth the score was 1-0 Lady Bisons, with the only run being scored on a groundout RBI from sophomore outfielder Presley Leebrick that brought freshman infielder Makayla Alvey across home plate in the third. The complexion of the game changed in the top of the fifth when the Lions got two runners on base and senior outfielder Meleah Hargett got a knock into the right-center gap to bring in both senior infielder Danielle de Ruiter and sophomore outfielder Katie Killen. They followed that up with a 2-run-homer scored by Stokes as well. If that wasn’t enough, they had another 4-run rally in the top of the seventh to complete the doubleheader sweep by a score of 8-2. Junior Sidney Revels pitched the win and senior Maddie Siemer picked up the loss.
The final game featured offense early on like that of the first game. In the bottom of the first, the Lady Bisons scored by way of a Kamrie Rich RBI double in left-center bringing Leebrick across home plate. The Lions responded with some offense of their own in the top of the second. Broadfoot crushed a fastball for a solo homer to tie the game up at 1-1. In the Lipscomb half of the second, Belding scored a run after a groundout from junior Amy Vetula. The next two and a half innings were all about the pitchers. Lipscomb’s Burke and North Alabama’s senior Laken Distefano were able to keep the opponents scoreless until one-third of the way in the bottom of the fifth.
The bats came back alive for Lipscomb and the offense generated a three-run rally. Junior Olivia Ward doubled down the infield line bringing in Leebrick and Paulson for an RBI double. Senior infielder Caitlin Turner followed that with an RBI single up the middle to bring in Olivia Ward. The score was 5-1 going into the top of the sixth and set up a good-looking inning with loaded bases and only one out. However, Burke was poised in the pitching circle notching a strikeout and getting out of the inning only giving up one run due to an infield error for an unearned run. Going into the final inning, the Lions would need a major rally and it just didn’t materialize for them. The Lady Bisons got the win thanks to consistent pitching by Burke who picked up the win, and good offense all-around.
The Lady Bisons will be back in action at Draper Diamond for a three-game series against the Liberty Flames. Saturday, March 27 will feature a doubleheader with games at 12 pm and 2 pm, and Sunday the final game will be played at 1 pm. The Lady Bisons are now 11-12 on the year and 2-4 in the conference.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics