Photos by Patrick Spears and Connor Gahagan
MARYVILLE – Two teams of apparent equal footing split a doubleheader here Friday afternoon in Collegiate Conference of the South action.
Maryville defeated LaGrange 8-4 in the first game and then lost 13-4 in the nightcap. Both teams used a key five-run fifth inning to spur their victory. The second game was shortened to six innings by the run rule.
The Scots stand 12-16 overall and 4-4 in the CCS, while LaGrange is 13-15 and 3-3.
"It came down to being exactly what we thought," Maryville head coach
Jill Moore said. "We scored more runs in the first game, and they came out and it was just a deficit we couldn't compete with in Game 2. We ran out of gas a little bit on the mound, but we were evenly matched."
Maryville trailed 4-3 entering the bottom of the fifth in Game 1 and saw two of its first three batters retired.
Brecca Williams reached on an error and then appeared to be thrown out stealing, only for the umpire to rule obstruction and award Williams second base.
After that, the Scots unleashed.
Dickinson Sisters Homer
Ryleigh Maples reached on a single that LaGrange pitcher Claire Chamberlain gloved but could not corral.
Olivia Harris followed with a double just inside the chalk down the left field line and both runners scored to put the Scots ahead 5-4.
Sydney Dickinson, who entered the game defensively in the top of the frame, blasted the first pitch she saw for her second homer of the year – this one clearing the new batting cage roof by a long shot.
Ashtyn Barga followed with her first collegiate triple, and she scored when
Emma Blankenship singled to left center for an 8-4 lead.
All five Maryville runs in that frame were unearned.
Paige Dickinson (3-3) belted a two-run homer in the first inning and grabbed the pitching victory in relief of starter
Jacey Goetzinger. Dickinson went the final three frames and allowed one run (earned) on three hits with one walk and one strikeout.
In the nightcap, LaGrange led 5-4 in the top of the fifth when it looked like the side might be retired on a Breonn Newbille ground out. But Newbille was ruled safe at first – much like Williams was ruled safe at second in Game 1 – to extend the inning. Five runs later, the Panthers were cruising. They added three more in the sixth to claim a split and head home to Georgia.
Five Hits Each for Barga, Blankenship
Maryville hitting leaders for the day start with Barga and Blankenship. Both went 5-for-6 in the doubleheader, with Barga producing a double and a triple in Game 1 and scoring three runs. The first-year centerfielder is riding a six-game hitting streak, during which time she is 13-for-19 and has lifted her batting average from .236 to a season-high .351. Blankenship tripled in the first game and doubled in the second. The junior outfielder is 7-for-10 over her last four games and has lifted her batting average from .200 to .311.
Harris went a combined 3-for-6 with two runs scored and two driven in, while
Sydney Dickinson combined to go 2-for-4 with one run scored and two driven in.
Paige Dickinson went 2-for-8 with a run scored and three RBIs, while Maples finished the day 2-for-7 with two runs scored.
Paige Dickinson is the team doubles (10), home run (3) and RBI (28) leader, while Blankenship is tied for the triples (3) lead with Williams.
"We work hard on hitting at practice. Our approach, knowing that our offense is going to have to have the upper hand in a lot of games for us, and our lineup and our hitters and this team have taken that challenge well and they have been relentless at the plate. We had 11 hits in the first game and nine hits in the second.
"We know what we have to do to win games."
Maryville is right back at it Saturday for another CCS doubleheader. Wesleyan provides the opposition at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
"We're just going to keep cleaning it up and continue to get better as the season goes along," Moore said. "We're going to take our lessons into Saturday and come back better and stronger."
Official Batting Cage Dedication
In between Friday's games, Maryville College Athletics celebrated the official unveiling of its new softball batting cage facility located just beyond the left field fence. The facility presents the softball team with a new, larger, better-equipped and attractive structure that they are proud to be using for the first time this season.
The project was made possible through the generosity, partnership, and efforts of many, all of whom are recognized on a plaque at the entrance to the cage. The partnership and collaboration with Harrison Construction was key in making this a possibility, and the Athletics Department welcomed Russell Long from Harrison to throw out a ceremonial first pitch.
