Lexington, Ky. - On Tuesday evening, the Transylvania softball team took on Mount St. Joseph out of Cincinnati, Ohio in a crucial doubleheader. It was a battle of the top two teams in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC), played on John & Donna Hall Field in the heart of Lexington, Kentucky.
Game 1- The opening game proved to be a low-scoring pitching duel with a total of 12 hits in the game. Transylvania got on the board early in the bottom of the first when Alyssa Nunn singled to bring home Stella Wulker, who had gotten on base from a double down the left field line earlier in the inning. The contest then went scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning where the Pios put up another key run, when Ry'ann Tharp took advantage of a throwing error by the Mount St. Joseph outfield and came home.
Pitcher Carlee Jeter continued to knock down batters for the rest of the game, as the two run lead was more than enough. The sophomore pitcher went the distance in a complete game shutout, allowing just 4 hits, on a very proficient day in the circle.
The final score was 2-0 as the Pioneers took the first half of the doubleheader.
Game 2- Transylvania got on the board first in the latter half of the doubleheader, as senior Taylor Senter reached on a fielding error in left field, and Wulker dashed home for the early advantage. At the end of the first inning the Pioneers held the lead 1-0.
Unfortunately, Mount St. Joseph scored a run in back to back innings, and held the Pios off the board, making it 2-1 going into the fourth. The score stayed the same throughout the fourth and fifth as neither team were able to find any runs. For most of game two, the Lions outhit Transy considerably, but were held in check with strong defense to keep the game close.
In the top of the sixth the Lions were able to pull away, scoring four runs in the inning to take a five run lead with just an inning and a half remaining. In the bottom of the sixth the Pioneers got two runners on base but were unable to capitalize. The seventh inning went scoreless for both teams and the final score stayed at 6-1, Mount St. Joseph took the win and split the doubleheader.
The rest of the regular season will be critical for both teams, as the race for the number one seed and hosting privilege of the HCAC Tournament is still undecided this late in the season. Transylvania's streak of four consecutive doubleheader sweeps comes to an end, however they remain first in the conference, despite the tough loss to the second ranked team.
The Pioneers look ahead to two more doubleheaders before heading into postseason play, the first against Bluffton on Saturday, April 30th for Senior Day at Hall field with a 1 & 3 PM scheduled start. They will then wrap up the regular season at Spalding University on Sunday, May 1st.
For more information on Transylvania softball, follow @TransySoftball on Twitter.
To keep up with the HCAC conference standings before postseason play begins, click here!
