Sports
Lipscomb Extends Ohio’s Losing Streak To Seven Games
By: Kellen Becoats
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Game One: Everything was going smoothly for the Bobcats until Lipscomb’s Kristen Sturdivant took the plate. The senior infielder slammed a two-run homer to left center in the bottom of the sixth to give the Bison the decisive 2-1 win on Wednesday that handed Ohio’s its sixth straight loss.
Savannah Jo Dorsey looked strong all day, giving up only five hits in six innings pitched. She snagged five strikeouts while posting a 2.22 ERA in the first game of the doubleheader.
The pitching of Ashley Anderson, reigning Atlantic Sun Conference Pitcher of the Week, was too much to overcome for the ‘Cats. The lefty from Sharpsburg, Ga., appeared infallible on the mound, pitching all seven innings while giving up five hits and only allowing a batter as far as second base. Anderson posted an incredible 0.84 ERA on the day and a season ERA of 1.08.
Anderson’s only mistake on the day occurred in the fourth but it truly wasn’t her own fault, as a shortstop error allowed Alexia Cortez to get on base. Cortez then stole second. A Casie Hutchinson groundout to shortstop and an error to first base brought Cortez’s spikes across home plate for Ohio’s only run of the game.
The Bobcats (12-8) started the season with such explosive offensive prowess, so recording relatively few runs in their recent games comes as a surprise. Many players started the season with hot bats but recently they’ve gone cold as Ohio hasn’t been able to post more than two runs in each of its past seven games.
Adrienne Gebele remains the only Bobcat to narrowly hold a batting average over .400 with a .404 average while McClary is the closest behind her at .333.
Game Two: Things only got worse for Ohio in the second game of the doubleheader.
It didn’t take Lipscomb until the sixth inning this time around as the Bison scored early and often, scoring two in the first on their way to a second win of the evening over a depleted Ohio team, 8-3.
It looked as if the Bobcats’ luck had turned in the beginning as Ohio’s Alexandria Basquez slugged a single into right center to score Amanda Dalton for Basquez’s team-leading 13th RBI of the season.
But Ohio would have to wait for three innings for its next run as it became the Lipscomb Bison Show for the rest of the afternoon. The Bison (17-3) put on a clinic in Nashville as they didn’t wait long to erase the Bobcats’ early run off the board.
A Mimi Cartwright triple to left center grabbed the freshman two RBIs and successfully swung the momentum in favor of the Bison. Brittany Elmore singled it down the infield line to score Brianne Welch in the second to bring Lipscomb’s lead to 3-1.
The Bobcats’ bats went cold once again as it took Ohio to the second last inning to grab another two runs, with the Bison holding a 6-3 lead, but Lipscomb wasn’t done.
The Bison then added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to officially put the game out of reach for the ‘Cats and hand them their seventh straight loss since starting the season 12-1.
Lipscomb led Ohio in nearly every statistical category at the end of the doubleheader, giving the ‘Cats things to evaluate before they enter the Red and Black Classic hosted by Louisville on Friday, March 7.