Lady Bisons softball team caps season off with a walk-off win

Lady Bisons softball team caps season off with a walk-off win

Fans of the Lipscomb softball team were treated to a nail-biter Wednesday after three late-game runs secured a 3-2 victory for the team over Tennessee State. This was the team’s first game back since April 20 due to a recent team quarantine, which led to questions about if the team would come out slow. That was soon answered after the early innings of the game. The Lady Bisons weren’t able to create offense early and trailed 2-0 through five innings. The Lady Tigers two runs came in the third inning after junior shortstop Lauren Farias scored on an error, and sophomore outfielder Analeigh Coursey scored by way of a sac fly. The offensive drought came to an end in the sixth inning when sophomore outfielder Presley Leebrick led off the inning with a solo homer to right field. That burst of offense set up what would be an eventful final inning. Breanna Burke pitched a strong final inning, not allowing any hits and striking out two batters in the process. The bottom half of the inning started with a double to centerfield from senior infielder Jenna Endris. Following that, sophomore infielder Kelly Paulson, entered the game as a pinch-runner. Paulson advanced to third off a sac bunt from junior outfielder Jessie Brown. Paulson then scored from a single to right center by junior outfielder Abby Davis. Following the hit, Davis stole second base. This all set up a walk-off ground single batted by junior infielder Amy Vetula. The win boosted the team to a winning record, finishing the regular season at 17-16. The Lady Bisons will hit the road for the first round of the ASUN tournament facing the Liberty Flames. The first...
Lady Bisons out of NCAA regional after Arizona State rematch

Lady Bisons out of NCAA regional after Arizona State rematch

Lipscomb was eliminated from the NCAA Tuscaloosa regional tournament Saturday by falling 10-1 to Arizona State.  It was the second loss to Arizona State, which dropped Lipscomb into the losers’ bracket by winning 4-3 Friday. The Lady Bisons played two games Saturday, both games cut short due to the run rule, but only the first one  — a victory over Alabama State — came out in Lipscomb’s favor, with a 14-0 lead after five innings enough to send the Lady Hornets packing. The scoring started early in the first elimination game Saturday against Alabama State. In the second inning, Sarah Higgins was walked, advanced to third off of a Jordan Fortel grounder that got popped into the air, and then scored on the next batter. Khayla Green then hit a single to drive Fortel to third, and with a bases-loaded walk, two batters later scored her. Alabama State then made a pitching change, but it didn’t help things for the Lady Hornets. A grounder from Graysen Gladden scored two to make it 4-0. Peyton Ward hit a line drive over a third that bounced off the wall. The hit scored two runners to make the score 6-0. A couple of batters later, the bases were loaded again. Jenna Pealor hit a grand slam, her eighth home run of the season, that increased the Lady Bisons’ lead to 10-0. Lipscomb added four more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, and the game ended in the top of the next inning due to the run-ahead rule. The win set up a rematch with Arizona State University, which lost to...
Lipscomb softball falls to Arizona State in the opening round

Lipscomb softball falls to Arizona State in the opening round

The Lady Bisons made it close but ultimately couldn’t overcome the Arizona State Sun Devils, losing 4-3 in the opening round of the Tuscaloosa Regional tournament and road to the Women’s College World Series. Lipscomb fell to Arizona State, a team with a high-powered offense, solid pitching, and strong defense. Pitching and the outfield were the most important aspects of the game for either team through the first two innings. In the first inning, Lipscomb’s first two batters struck out before a popout ended the inning. Amy Vetula was able to record all three of the outs for Lipscomb’s defense. In the second inning, things play balanced out. Arizona State’s defense got two of the three outs (including a barehanded catch and throw from Jade Gortarez to first), while Lipscomb’s Mandy Jordan earned a strikeout and Destinee Brewer chased down a long shot to end the inning. Cielo Meza struck out four through four innings of play for the Sun Devils and only allowed two runners to reach base. A Sarah Higgins double followed by a home run from Jenna Pealor put the Lady Bisons up 2-0 in the fourth inning. The Sun Devils would respond quickly. Kindra Hackbarth hit a double in the bottom of the same inning. Two batters later, Gortarez hit an RBI single that cut Lipscomb’s lead to one and cut its momentum. Lipscomb had a chance to extend the lead in the fifth inning but couldn’t capitalize on it. A tag-out at second and a foul-out ended any chance of the Lady Bisons scoring in the fifth. Arizona State has the third-ranked offense in...
Jordan Fortel doubles as both pitcher, hitter after overcoming injury

Jordan Fortel doubles as both pitcher, hitter after overcoming injury

Jordan Fortel is no stranger to overcoming obstacles in her softball career, but despite her unconventional journey to Lipscomb and her recent injuries, she continues to pull through for her team as both a hitter and pitcher. Fortel is halfway through her senior season at Lipscomb and is leading the team in multiple-hit games, hitting streaks and a reached base streak of 35. “This season has been great so far,” Fortel said. “I think we’ve gotten off to a really great start, and I’m excited to see where we go from here.” Her college softball career has been nothing shy of success. She was named 2017 TCCAA Pitcher of the Year and D1 Softball and ASUN Pitcher of the week for her no-hitter game against Ole Miss last year. She has quickly become a key player for the team, but she hasn’t always been a Bison. “Lipscomb is actually the third school that I’ve attended,” Fortel said.” I’ve only been here since last year when I transferred. I kind of had some connections here, and it just worked out. It’s been a good journey.” After attending the University of Tennessee Chattanooga for a year, Fortel moved closer to her home in Greenville to attend Walter State. “I was led by the Lord to leave UTC, and it just wasn’t working out,” Fortel said. “I’ve ended up in a lot better situations.” She grew up playing travel softball with junior Hannah Duvalt, and with only one year of eligibility at Walter State, Fortel made the move to Lipscomb. “This community is just so much different than communities I’ve been a...
Lipscomb softball evens ASUN record with 13-0 win over UNF

Lipscomb softball evens ASUN record with 13-0 win over UNF

Lipscomb’s softball team showcased its talents on the mound and over the plate in a 13-0 victory over UNF on Sunday to clinch the weekend series 2-1. The two teams split the doubleheader on Saturday, with UNF taking game one 8-6 and Lipscomb taking game two 3-1 thanks to a three-run homer from Jenna Pealor in the sixth inning. Lipscomb is now 23-12-1 (3-3 ASUN). North Florida drops to 20-12 (3-3 ASUN). Saturday’s second game marked the first win of the season from the mound for junior Chloe Yeager. “She’s finally back to old Chloe, which is huge,” Lipscomb coach Kristin Ryman said. She followed up the win on Saturday with another on Sunday in a standout performance where she gave up only one hit, walked only one batter and struck out three in the five innings available before the game was ended due to the run rule. The Lipscomb offense started off Sunday’s game strong and appeared to have solved the scoring issues it faced in Saturday’s second game. Hannah DeVault and Pealor shared 5 RBIs in the first two innings, with a sixth coming from Sarah Higgins. “We just really attacked the ball and attacked good pitches from the get-go today,” Ryman said. “We created a little bit of havoc today on the bases, too, with quite a few stolen bases and were able to get a lot of runners in scoring position for those girls in the middle of the order.” The Bisons followed up two strong innings with seven more runs in the third. Although the big hits from DeVault and Pealor put the runs...