HENDERSON, Tenn. – The Lindsey Wilson softball team started strong against previously-unbeaten Williams Baptist (Ark.) but came up short of sweeping the Eagles on Friday in the Freed-Hardeman Classic.
Freshman
Nora Epley hit 4-for-6 with a home run, and
Kaiden Rodgers added three hits to help lead the Blue Raider offense.
Game One: Lindsey Wilson 6, Williams Baptist (Ark.) 2
Epley and Rodgers combined for five hits from the middle of the Lindsey Wilson lineup. The first of which came in the bottom half of the second inning when Epley teed up her first career home run to right-center field.
Katie Lorenz doubled the Blue Raiders' lead later in the inning, scoring off a dropped fly ball.
In the third frame,
Natalie Wandrie and Epley produced back-to-back base-hits to set up Rodgers who proceeded to rip a single down the left field line, plating Wandrie.
After two scoreless innings, Lindsey Wilson iced the game in its final at-bat in the sixth.
Kendall Dailey and
Sam Hartman reached on walks before scoring on another dropped ball by the Eagles' defense. Then, Wandrie advanced home off the bat of Epley one batter later to bump the score to 6-0.
Williams Baptist broke up the shutout bid with its only run in the top of the seventh inning but managed nothing more.
Kayden Murray worked the complete game from the circle for her first win of the season. The sophomore retired nine on strikes and allowed two earned runs on six hits.
Game Two: Lindsey Wilson 2, Williams Baptist (Ark.) 4
A three-run first inning by the Eagles was the difference in Friday's second outing. Despite the efforts of relief pitcher
Hallie Roberts and the Blue Raider defense, the offense could only cut an eventual four-run deficit in half.
Lindsey Wilson's first run soared over the right-center field fence off the swing of Hartman. Her first home run of the year in the fourth inning makes her the fifth different Blue Raider to clear the fences this season.
The junior improved her season RBI-total to 11 in the following frame with a sacrifice fly out to score to Dailey, who had reached earlier on a lead-off double to left field.
Roberts finished the last five innings of game two and surrendered one earned run on seven hits and struck out four.
Lindsey Wilson returns to Tucker Field at 12 p.m. CST on Saturday, March 1 for a doubleheader with Saint Francis (Ind.).
