Box Score The Maryville College Scots picked up their first USA South Athletic Conference Tournament victory on Friday morning, advancing to the second round of the tournament.
Maryville downed Huntingdon College – the tournament's No. 7 seed – with a score of 5-4.
For Head Coach Leah Kelley, it was a good momentum shift to get the win in the first round.
"With the jitters, and it being our first time [in the USA South Tournament], I think it definitely showed in the first inning," she said. "It was crucial for us to get that first win under our belt and for them to start relaxing. From here on out, it's going to be tough. We're going to have to be ready to come out every game."
The Scots earned their 10th-straight victory, as they advance to play No. 3 seed N.C. Wesleyan College. The Bishops defeated Greensboro College, 21-4, in the opening round.
"We have a lot of momentum, and we're playing with a lot of confidence from the top of the lineup to the bottom and with our pitchers," Kelley said of the 10-game streak. "We've just got to keep that going."
Huntingdon College struck first, taking a 2-0 lead. Jessica Swindle doubled to right-center to score Chelsea Messer, before Blake Rowland followed suit with an RBI double to left, scoring Swindle.
Maryville fought back in the bottom of the inning, matching the Hawks. Jessica McMahan and Savannah Cook each reached on singles, before Rachel Taylor and Alexus Murray grounded out to earn the RBIs. Going to the second, Maryville and Huntingdon were knotted at 2-all.
Maryville took the lead in the bottom of the third. Casey Joliff found an RBI single up the middle to score Murray, before Gabrielle Rathmell was able to score on a passed ball. Maryville held a 4-0 lead going to the fourth inning.
They extended that lead during the fourth. With the bases loaded, Megan Mihaliak reached on an error by short, as Cook was able to score. The Scots held a stout 5-2 lead going to the fifth inning.
In the top of the sixth, Huntingdon closed the gap. KerriReed singled to left to score Rowland, before the Hawks would put together a comeback rally in the bottom of the seventh. Messer scored off of Swindle's RBI single to center, but Joliff forced a groundout to end the game with a 5-4 win.
Maryville (24-15) was led by McMahan who went 3-for-4 with a run scored. Cook was 2-for-4 with two runs, while Murray went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Taylor and Joliff each went 1-for-4 with RBIs, while Jenna Roberts and Chloe Lawrence each added a hit. Gabrielle Rathmell scored a run for the Scots.
Joliff (6-1) earned the victory in the circle as relief. She pitched 4.2 innings, allowing five hits and only two runs. Joliff struck out two, while only walking one batter.
Huntingdon was led by Swindle's 3-for-4 day, as she had two RBI and a run. Messer went 2-for-3 with two runs.
