by Chad Johnson | Apr 13, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
It was almost a perfect conclusion to an already special weekend for the Lipscomb softball team — almost. After winning the first two games of the three-game conference series on Saturday, the Lady Bisons were upended by the North Florida Ospreys 7-6 on Sunday afternoon at Draper Diamond at Smith Field. Despite a late rally in the sixth and seventh innings, the Lady Bisons came up short in the end of the last game. “We did a good job late in the game with runners on, but not early in the game,” Lipscomb coach Kristin Ryman said. “It stinks that six runs is not enough. I think we should have capitalized on some things earlier in the game but we didn’t.” Lipscomb had no problem getting on base, as they recorded nine hits total, but couldn’t quite finish the job when they needed to. “We can’t leave bases loaded twice in the first five innings,” Ryman said. “That was a killer.” Despite the loss on Sunday, Ryman was optimistic about the two wins on Saturday. “We’re at the point of the season where every game matters,” Ryman said. “That is a positive takeaway.” The Lady Bisons were led offensively by senior Paige Neely and freshman Abby Fenichel who each had three hits while junior Baylee Williams added two of her own. Williams and junior Brittany Elmore also led the way with two RBI’s a piece. In the circle, junior Kelly Young was accredited with the loss. She gave up six runs on five hits while striking out seven. On Saturday afternoon, the ending was different in both games. Senior Gracey Aguirre bolted a solo homer over the left-center...
by Charlie Bateman | Apr 7, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb softball took the doubleheader 3-2 and 13-1 from the Memphis Tigers at Draper Diamond at Smith Stadium Tuesday afternoon. The Lady Bisons came out dressed in pink jerseys to raise awareness for breast cancer. In the first game, Memphis got a two-run homer by catcher Haley Ross in the top of the second. Lipscomb tied it up in the bottom of the fourth, with two runs scored on a bases-loaded single by freshman Caitlin Plocheck. Plocheck broke the tie in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run. “Plocheck is a very talented hitter,” Lipscomb coach Kristin Ryman said. “The quality of her at-bats seem to get better and better.” Lipscomb continued its clutch hitting in the second game, with a final score of 13-1. The Lady Bisons scored a season high 12 runs in the bottom of the second. The major hit of the inning was a grand slam by junior Baylee Williams. “She has an effortless swing,” Ryman said. “It doesn’t always look explosive, but she has good hands.” Senior Brianne Welch had the other big hit in the inning, with a two-run homer that actually bounced off the scoreboard. “Brianne has as much raw power as anyone on the team,” Ryman said. “When she gets a hold of one, it is going to go out of the ballpark.” The Memphis Tigers played Lipscomb close in the first game, but could not solve junior Tanner Sanders’ pitching in the second game. Sanders not only got her first save in the first game, but she also pitched a complete second game. The Tigers scored its only run...
by Charlie Bateman | Mar 31, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
Mississippi State took down Lipscomb in a 1-0 win Tuesday afternoon at Draper Diamond at Smith Stadium. Lipscomb and Mississippi State were tied at zero until the fifth inning. It was not until the Bulldogs’ designated player Mackenzie Toler got a run-scoring single in the top of the fifth to make the only run in the competition. Junior pitcher Tanner Stevens gave up one run and had nine strikeouts on the game. “Tanner was really attacking the zone,” Lipscomb coach Kristin Ryman said. “She did a tremendous job. You can not ask for more than what she gave us today.” Ryman said she hopes that Stevens will continue her excellent pitching by hitting her spots for future starts. Mississippi sent out its number one starter and ace hurler Alexis Silkwood in the circle. Silkwood had four strikeouts and allowed two hits. Ryman was not surprised that Mississippi had its number one starter go against Lipscomb. “She is doing some good things for them,” Ryman said. Freshman Caitlin Plocheck extended her hitting streak to five games. Plocheck had a single in the bottom of the second. “Her last two at-bats were still quality,” Ryman said. “We are starting to see what we knew she was capable of. That is exciting for us as we move into the last half of conference play.” Ryman said she hopes Plocheck and others will become strong hitters as they go through the rest of the season. Lipscomb will travel to Florida for some Atlantic Sun action with Jacksonville this weekend. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
