No. 25 Taylor Records Wins over Cumberland and Tennessee Wesleyan
Cumberland Box Score I Tennessee Wesleyan Box Score
LEBANON, Tenn. – Taylor softball picked up two wins Saturday, as Hannah Robbins pitched a complete game gem in the 5-1 win against Cumberland. The Trojans then rallied in dramatic fashion with three runs in the seventh to topple Tennessee Wesleyan 6-4.
Taylor has now won five straight games to improve to 5-1 on the season. Sophomore Hannah Robbins got the start in game one against the host Cumberland University and earned her second victory of the season from the circle, going the distance while allowing just the one run on five hits and three walks.
Robbins struck out three of the first four hitters in the contest and only allowed a single the first time through the Cumberland batting order. The sophomore hurler often found a way to get ahead in the count and went on to finish the game with eight strikeouts, notching at least one put away in six of her seven innings pitched. On the year, Robbins now has 20 strikeouts and a 0.89 earned run average in 15 and two thirds innings pitched.
Despite not having played in exactly a month's time, the Trojan bats were alive throughout in the 5-1 win. The high-powered Trojan batting order amassed 11 hits in the contest, with five different players scoring a run and four different players each producing one RBI. Taylor easily could have had a better offensive day if it were not for the Trojans stranding ten baserunners, but with Robbins dominant in the circle five runs was more than enough in this one.
Alex Lovelace was 3-of-4 with a run scored and an RBI and Lauren Ehle also went 3-for-4 with an RBI to lead the Trojans. Robbins went 1-of-2 with an RBI and got on base with two walks. Sophomore catcher Jessica Britt made her debut with the Trojans and finished 1-for-3 with a run scored and a run driven in. Anna Gunderson, Davis Carter and Ashley Miller each came around to score from the two, three and four positions in the batting order, respectively.
The game ended in an unusual fashion, as left fielder Morgan Allison made a great throw home as a Cumberland baserunner unsuccessfully attempted to make the score 5-2 with two outs in the bottom half of the seventh inning.
Taylor found itself in a battle with Tennessee Wesleyan in the next contest which saw multiple swings of momentum.
The Trojans struck first in the top half of the first inning to grab a 2-0 lead. Tennessee Wesleyan leadoff hitter Kayla Stevens blasted a homer in the bottom of the first to cut the Taylor lead in half, and then tied it at 2-2 in the third inning with another solo shot. The Bulldogs were able to take a 3-2 lead off Taylor starting pitcher Ashley Miller in the third. Taylor proceeded to tie it at 3-3 on a Gunderson sacrifice fly to bring in Taylor Murray in the top of the fifth, but once again Tennessee Wesleyan responded with a go-ahead run in the bottom half of the fifth.
With the Trojans trailing 4-3 entering the seventh inning, Allison came through in the clutch with a leadoff home run to right field for the equalizer. Taylor was able to load the bases with one out, and freshman Davis Carter drove in the go ahead run with a fielder's choice. Lovelace was able to advance to third base on the play, and the speedy center fielder reached home on a Tennessee Wesleyan throwing error to account for the sixth TU run of the game.
Miller was able to seal the victory in the seventh from the circle for a complete game performance. The junior allowed six hits and three walks but struck out five and was able to get out of occasional trouble to concede just three earned runs, two of which were solo home runs from Stevens.
"Miller really battled in there for us today," said head coach Brad Bowser. "Morgan Allison's home run for us in the seventh was huge. Tennessee Wesleyan was a really good team, and just like in the first game it took a great all-around team effort for us to pull it out."
Once again the Trojans displayed balance throughout their lineup, with four different players scoring and four different players driving in runs.
Lovelace was a perfect 3-for-3 from the plate with a walk and two runs scored, and on the day the returning Crossroads League Player of the Year and NAIA 2nd Team All-American got on base seven times in eight at-bats. Miller helped her own cause with production at the plate, going 3-of-4 with two RBI. Murray went 2-of-3 with two runs scored, one of which proved to be the winning run driven in by Carter's fielder's choice. Allison and Gunderson each totaled a run and an RBI and made key contributions with the game-tying home run in the seventh and the sacrifice fly in the fifth, respectively.
No. 25 Taylor (5-1) is next scheduled to play on March 6 and March 7 in the USCAA 2015 Preseason Invitational in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. If the weather permits, the Trojans will have five games during that two-day span starting off on Friday with a 5:00 pm game against Iowa Wesleyan College. The rest of Taylor's schedule will include Roosevelt at 6:45 pm Friday and on Saturday No. 23 Davenport at 9:00 am, Indiana University Southeast at 1:00 pm and Lindenwood University to conclude the invitational at 3:00 pm.