Spring sports are in full spring while winter sports are wrapping up. Here’s what you may have missed this week in Nashville sports.
Lipscomb Softball: Lady Bisons softball continues their strong start, this week behind senior pitcher Ashley Anderson who pitched 12 shutout innings during the team’s sweep of University of North Florida. She received her first Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Week award for her shutout performance. Lipscomb followed up that sweep with another, this time over Ohio. Their record sits at 17-3 overall, and their next game is a double header against Florida Gulf Coast University on Saturday starting at 1 p.m.
Lipscomb Baseball: Bisons baseball is currently on a three game winning streak after wins over Connecticut and Western Kentucky. Junior shortstop Grant Massey received the Atlantic Sun Baseball Player of the Week after he had three RBI’s and seven walks in the Bisons three wins. Lipscomb has a three game series against Oakland this weekend, including a double header on Saturday at Dugan Field, starting at 12 p.m.
Lipscomb Men’s Basketball: The Bisons basketball season ended in a double overtime thriller at the first level of the A-Sun Men’s Basketball Championship against ETSU on Tuesday. Despite having a 16 point lead in the second half, the Bisons would fall one point short in double overtime. Junior forward Malcolm Smith led Lipscomb with 24 points and scored his 1000th point in the loss. The Bisons finished with a 15-15 record, the first time they’ve been at .500 since the 2010-2011 season.
Lipscomb Women’s Basketball: Despite a struggling start, the Lady Bisons will appear in the A-Sun Women’s Basketball Championship with a win over ETSU Thursday night. Redshirt sophomore forward Ashley Southern led Lipscomb with 27 points in the 76-74 victory. The Lady Bisons are the eighth and final team in the tournament, which starts Tuesday, March 11.
Vanderbilt Basketball: Guard Kyle Fuller and forward Rod Odom have led the Commodores through a lot this season, but they weren’t enough to stop a strong second half performance from LSU on Thursday’s senior night. Johnny O’Bryant led the Tigers back from a 16-point deficit with 25 points in LSU’s victory. The Commodores will close out the season at Mississippi State on Saturday.
Belmont Basketball: The Bruins have been racking up the hardware this week as head coach Rick Byrd received OVC Coach of the Year and senior guard/forward J.J. Mann took home player of the year. The Bruins were the regular season OVC champions, their fifth consecutive regular season conference championship, and are set for a semifinal thriller against Morehead State Friday in the Nashville Municipal Auditorium at 6:30 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics