JACKSON, Tenn. – On Feb. 27, the Union University softball team split their midweek doubleheader with Trevecca Nazarene University, winning game one 1-0 and losing game 2 9-8 in eight innings. With the win and loss, the Lady Bulldogs are now 13-5 overall, and Trevecca is 11-5 overall.
In game one, both offenses combined for eight hits with Union getting six of those. Lainey Baker got the start in the circle, throwing a complete game and striking out nine Trojan hitters. The lone run of the game came in the bottom of the first when Macey Neal scored on an error. Baker got the win, improving her record to 5-2.
Courtney Marler and Neal each had two hits in the game with Marler going 2-2 and Neal going 2-3. Bryleigh Carneal and Sarah Kate Thompson had one hit a piece to account for Union’s other two hits.
Game two made up for the offense that game one lacked as the two teams combined for 17 runs on 23 hits. Union jumped out to 2-0 lead in the first after Zoey Neal’s bunt single. Trevecca scored two in the second to tie the game, but the Lady Bulldogs scored two more in the third courtesy of a Marler single and Camryn Langley double to make the score 4-2. In the fourth, Zoey Neal hit a two-RBI single to right field to extend the lead to 6-2. Going into the top of the seventh, Union led 8-3. However, they would not be able to hold on as the Trojans scored five runs to tie the game and went on to score one in the eighth, eventually winning 9-8.
The Lady Bulldogs had 13 hits in the game. Four players had multi-hit games, including Macey Neal going 2-4, Zoey Neal going 2-3, Marler going 2-4, and Thompson going 3-3. Zoey led in RBIs with three, and Marler was not far behind as she collected two RBIs in the game.
Riley Vaughn started for Union, throwing 6.1 innings and striking out seven while giving up eight runs (five earned) on eight hits and walking five. Emily Claire Felder came in with one out in the seventh and was unable to keep the Trojans from tying the game. She pitched 1.2 innings and gave up one unearned run on two hits. Felder took the loss, making her record 3-3 so far this season.
Up next, the Lady Bulldogs travel to Valdosta, Ga., for a conference series with Valdosta State University. They will play games one and two of the series on Mar. 2 with first pitch of game one scheduled for 1:00 p.m. central standard time.
