Lexington, Ky. – The No. 23 Transylvania softball team fell to the Mount St. Joseph University Lions in the winners' bracket of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Softball Tournament on Friday morning in a 6-2 loss but kept its postseason hopes alive by rebounding in the afternoon to defeat the Franklin College Grizzlies, 9-4 in the losers' bracket elimination game.
Transylvania moved to 28-9 on the season while Franklin suffered its second loss of the conference tournament to become the third team in the bracket eliminated, ending its season with a 21-15 record.
The Pioneers advanced into the final day of the HCAC Tournament to be played on Saturday afternoon in a 12:00 noon rematch with the Lions in the first HCAC championship game. Transylvania must win back-to-back games on Saturday to clinch the conference championship while the Lions can capture the HCAC crown with a win in the Saturday opener or in the if-necessary game to immediately follow at 2:30 p.m. if the Pioneers earn a win in game one tomorrow.
Mount St. Joseph took control of the Friday morning contest with a two-run double in the top of the second to take a 2-0 lead on Transy. Annie Schuck provided an immediate answer in the bottom of the second with a deep shot to left centerfield for a home run, slicing the Pioneer deficit in half at 2-1.
The Lions took the game to the next level in the ensuing inning as the visitors led off the inning with a triple, a walk, and a two-run double for a 4-1 advantage. Mount St. Joseph delivered two more hits and another walk to increase its lead to 6-1 after two and a half innings.
Both teams settled in defensively after the Lions' big inning in the third. The Pioneers continued in tenacious pursuit of the Lions for the rest of the contest, plating one run in the fourth on an RBI double from Allyson O'Dell to score Abby Frazier. But Mount St. Joseph's Sarah Miller held Transy in check from the circle to limit the top-seeded team to just two runs in the winners' bracket game.
Cece Wittry was also highly effective in relief, holding the Lions scoreless over their final four innings with four strikeouts, two hits allowed, no walks issued, and no runs allowed. Kameron Bowling took the loss for the Pioneers in the opener.
Frazier and Lexi Childers each went 2 for 3 from the plate in the opener as the Pioneers had their season-high 14 game win streak snapped.
With both teams facing elimination in the afternoon contest, Franklin jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first against Transy with a bases-clearing double. The Pioneers sliced away at the early deficit with a bases-loaded walk drawn by O'Dell in the bottom of the first for a 3-1 Franklin lead.
The Grizzlies tallied an additional run in the top of the third to grow their lead back to three runs but the Pioneers would take control of the rest of the afternoon with eight unanswered runs.
The Pioneers began their ascent in the bottom of the third as Schuck and O'Dell led off with singles. Courtney Gentry ran home on an Alyssa Nunn single and O'Dell later scored via a fielding error on a Stella Wulker at-bat, thinning Franklin's lead to 4-3.
Transylvania pulled ahead for good in the following inning with a four-run explosion. Wittry led off with a double and Schuck added a one-out single to score Wittry and tie the game at 4-4. The momentum-changing run catalyzed an RBI double from Frazier, an RBI base hit by O'Dell, and another ensuing run as Nunn reached first, translating to a 7-4 Transy advantage.
The Pioneers fully secured the contest in the fifth inning as Frazier lined a double into left centerfield to score Taylor Senter and Childers for a 9-4 stronghold. The Pioneers never looked back as they charged into the Saturday championship round.
Transylvania registered 15 hits to Franklin's seven; Frazier led the way with a 3 for 4 game, three RBI, and two doubles. The Pioneers speared five doubles against Franklin.
Bowling heated up against the Grizzlies as the afternoon grew longer, striking out six Grizzly batters on the way to the complete-game win.
Childers, Schuck, O'Dell, and Becca Messing each tallied two hits apiece in the win against Franklin.
Transylvania is attempting to win its second consecutive conference championship. Tomorrow's championship showdown vs. Mount St. Joseph pits a rematch of the last HCAC Championship series, hosted by Mount St. Joseph in 2019. The Pioneers won the HCAC Tournament in three straight games, culminating with a 4-1 win against the Lions in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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