LEBANON, Tenn. – Freshmen duo Victoria Decker and Kelsi Pardue delivered a one-two punch at Cumberland University on Wednesday to pitch Campbellsville University to a Mid-South Conference doubleheader sweep, 2-1 and 4-1, at the Cumberland Softball Field.
The Lady Tigers never trailed on the day, taking a 1-0 lead in the second inning of game one. Kristen Benton reached on a full-count walk to start the inning and scored on a two-out single by Alyssa Barker.
Campbellsville tried to extend its lead in similar fashion in the third, as Shelby Ray drew a 3-2 count walk, followed by an Emma Napier fielder's choice and Kacie Vincent single, but the pair of seniors was left stranded in scoring position. In the bottom half of the inning, Megan Lavery led it off with a single and evened the score, 1-1, on an RBI single by Allison Blackwood.
The Lady Tigers pushed ahead in the fifth on a two-out home run by Napier, who scored three times on the day.
Decker struck out four in the complete game win for her seventh win of the season. Courtney Maynard earned the loss in the complete game, three-hit effort.
In the second game, Campbellsville took an early 2-0 lead after Napier doubled to start the game and scored on a throwing error by Bulldog pitcher Caroline Curren (1-3). Kacie Vincent, who reached on the error, moved to third on a double by Benton and scored on an RBI ground out by Oakley.
Cumberland also received a double to start the first inning, coming on a 1-1 count by Natalie Garcia, who was later knocked in on another Blackwood RBI single
After the first inning, Pardue (5-4) locked down, striking out 15 of her next 21 batters faced. She finished with 17 Ks, breaking her CU school record of 16 set earlier this season.
In the third inning, Taylor Borders plated Napier with an RBI single after the senior shortstop got on base with a leadoff single. The Lady Tigers' final run of the day came in the seventh on a leadoff home run to left center by Barker.
Campbellsville (12-8, 4-0 MSC) will return to Mid-South Conference action Saturday, March 16 at the University of Pikeville for a 1 p.m. EDT doubleheader.
