April 12, 2009

Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2

Spartanburg, S.C. - Lipscomb pounded out 12 runs on 24 hits Sunday to take a key A-Sun softball doubleheader sweep of USC Upstate on Easter at Cyrill Stadium. The Lady Bisons took a 9-1 win in game one and a 3-0 victory in game two.

Lipscomb improved to 29-8 overall and 8-2 in the A-Sun, moving into second place in the league standings. Upstate fell to 24-12 overall and 7-7 in the league. The Spartans remain in fifth place in the conference standings with the .500 record. Upstate travels to Columbia Wednesday evening for a single game at South Carolina starting at 5:00. It marks the first ever meeting between the Spartans and the Gamecocks.

It took five innings for Lipscomb to get comfortable at the plate against Upstate starter Morgan Childers in game one. Childers had retired the side in order in the first two innings and allowed just one hit in the third and two in the fourth. Upstate opened a 1-0 lead with a run in the third when Heidi Gibbs flew out to left to drive in Janna Lewis from third with the sacrifice.

In the fifth inning, however, Lipscomb hit its stride at plate and put four runs on the board to open a 4-1 lead. Caroline Mason started things off with a solo home run with one out in the inning to tie the game. Kellie Sirus drove in a run with an RBI single and two runs crossed the plate after Upstate could not complete a force out at second with the ball tipping off the glove of Lewis at second base and rolling into right field. The final two runs of the inning were unearned as the Lady Bisons opened a 4-1 lead.

Lipscomb was not finished and added to its lead with two runs in the sixth. Abby Keese drove in a pair of runs with a single through the left side to give the Lady Bisons a 6-1 lead. Lispcomb added three runs in the seventh for the final margin as Mason drove in a run and Courtney Billington added a two-run single.

Lipscomb starter Whitney Kiihnl went the distance to earn the win for Lipscomb in the circle. She allowed one run, which was unearned, and struck out eight with just three hits to improve to 13-5 on the year. Childers took the loss after tossing seven innings and striking out three. The loss ended a nine-game winning streak for the sophomore ace.

Billington led Lipscomb at the plate with three hits and two RBIs. Lauren Dortwegt, Keese, Mason and Mackenzie Tucker each had two hits for the Lady Bisons.

In game two, Lipscomb manufactured runs in the third and fifth innings and pitched out of a jam in the fifth to take the 3-0 win. Lady Bison starter Alaina Jacobson and Upstate starter Amber Hamilton were solid throughout as Jacobson earned the complete-game win. She scattered four Upstate hits and struck out three in the shutout to improve to 8-2 on the year. Hamilton allowed two earned runs in seven innings to take the loss and fall to 3-4.

Lipscomb started things off with two runs in the third inning. Dortwegt started the inning off with a bunt single. She advanced to second on Billington's bunt single, but the throw from Upstate third baseman Keri Sarratt went right of Lauren Quevedo at first and Dortwegt came around to score on the play. Later in the inning, Keese added an RBI single to give the Lady Bisons a 2-0 lead.

Lipscomb added to the lead in the fifth. With runners on first and second and two outs, Mason singled up the middle. Christen Campbell rounded third attempting to score. Crislyn Chewning fired a shot home and her throw beat Campbell to the plate by at least 10 feet. However, Upstate catcher Kim Brasil could not hold onto the ball for the tag and the run scored to give Lipscomb a 3-0 lead.

Jacobson was solid throughout but got some good fortune in the bottom of the fifth as Upstate attempted to rally. The Spartans loaded the bases with two outs and brought Chewning to the plate. Chewning hammered a line drive into deep center, but the wind held the ball up just enough for Dortwegt to make the catch and end the threat.

"Lipscomb is a good team," said Upstate head coach Chris Hawkins. "We had our chance in the fifth and had Crislyn's ball traveled a little farther, we probably would have won that game and gotten the split."

Keese and Campbell led Lipscomb at the plate with two hits each in the game.