Lexington, Ky. - On Saturday afternoon the Transylvania Pioneers softball team played a doubleheader against the Spartans of Manchester University, at home in Lexington, Kentucky at John & Donna Hall Field, to kick of HCAC play in 2022. The Pioneers came into the matches today with a record of 12-8, winners of their previous doubleheader against Centre College.
Game 1- In the first game, pitcher Carlee Jeter was back in the circle for the Pios. Jeter had a record of 5-5 coming into the game, as she looked to pick up her sixth win of the season. The game went scoreless after the first inning but in the second, senior Alyssa Nunn started the scoring for the Pioneers with a two RBI single to bring home sophomore Stella Wulker and senior Annie Schuck to make it 2-0 at the end of the second.
In the third inning the Pioneers really started to roll, scoring three runs in the inning. The first came from a Schuck RBI double to bring home junior Carson Murray. The second came from a hit by junior Abby Frazier to bring home Schuck. The third and final run of the inning came from first-year Zoey Fuller who doubled down the left field line to score Frazier. At the end of the third inning the score was 5-0, Pios in control.
The fourth inning went scoreless for both teams, but in the fifth Manchester was able to find two runs to bring the score to within three. The Pioneers pitching and fielding was stellar for the rest of the game though, as they did not allow any more runs and took the 5-2 win after the seventh inning.
Game 2- The second game of the doubleheader was all Pios, as the hot hitting bats made an appearance at John & Donna Hall Field while pitchers Marlee Woodward, Wulker, and Fuller shut down the Spartans. The scoring for the Pioneers started quick, as they had three total runs in the first inning. Murray singled through the left side to bring home senior Taylor Senter and shortly after Senter scored, Wulker singled up the middle to bring home two runners in Schuck and Murray.
In the third inning the Pioneers offense exploded, scoring six runs in the inning to put them up 9-0. Wulker hit an explosive two run home run that landed across the street on Transylvania's campus. First-year Ry'ann Tharp then dinged a triple to left center that brought home first-year Emilie Teall. Senior Becca Messing also hit a triple of her own down the left field line to bring Tharp home, and to close out the scoring in the inning Nunn singled to right field to score Messing.
Manchester was able to score one run in the fourth, but the Pioneers answered after Senter scored on a wild pitch and Wulker singled which eventually scored Schuck after the Manchester second base player had a throwing error, making the score 11-1 which would end up as the final. Manchester went scoreless in the fifth and the game ended on the run rule as the Pios take the sweep on Saturday afternoon.
The Pioneers are back in action tomorrow on Sunday, April 3rd for a doubleheader against HCAC opponent, Franklin College.
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