Softball Earns Split Against Union

ATHENS, Tenn.- The softball team earned a split on Wednesday in their doubleheader against Union Commonwealth University. The team won the second game of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) doubleheader 7-5.

 Game One:

The team was not able to find a foot on offense during the first game. The first hit of the game did not appear for the team until the fourth inning, a Macy Chastain single. The team was unfortunately trailing by a score of 7-0 by this point though. The team saw two more hits in the game, one from Brooklynn Deaver and a second from Avery Hope, but the team was not able to find runs through those hits, falling in the first game 9-0. 

Game Two:

The offense that was missing in the first game appeared in the second game. TWU opened the second game with a Hope walk. After stealing second, Hope moved to third on a Chastain single to left field and scored on Tatum Massengale's sacrifice bunt. A triple by Rheagan Thomas in the bottom of the second broke a 1-1 tie as Taylor Rose scored to push the team ahead by one. Two runs in the third and fifth innings by Union gave them a 5-2 lead. 

The Lady Bulldogs got two runs back in the bottom of the fifth. Thomas opened the bottom half with a walk, getting to third on a stolen base and throwing error. Chastain's single to center field brought in Thomas, cutting the deficit to two runs. Standing on third after a Massengale single, Chastain was able to steal home, putting the team down by one. TWU took the lead in the sixth inning.

Rose got on base with a walk and quickly got to third on a stolen base and passed ball. A single by Courtney Wilson would tie the game as Rose ran home as the ball rolled in center field. A sacrifice bunt by Thomas pushed Wilson into scoring position at second, and a single by Hope put Tennessee Wesleyan ahead by one as Wilson scored. The team was able to add an insurance run in their 7-5 win when a throwing error on Chastain's hit allowed Hope to score.

Olivia McNabb and Ashley Allen, who was credited with the win, both finished the game with three strikeouts in the circle.

TWU (4-9, 4-6 AAC) will return to their home field on Friday for a conference doubleheader against Milligan University at 2:00 p.m.