CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - The Lady Tigers trailed the initial five innings of the first game versus St. Catharine before finally taking charge and sweeping the Patriots. Despite the slow start, Campbellsville ended the afternoon with 26 hits, 16 more for which St. Catharine could account.
The games stood as the last double header of regular season play for CU. Campbellsville (36-13, 24-5 MSC) will travel to Georgetown College on Tuesday to continue a suspended game at 5 p.m. EDT to close the regular season. The scoreless game will resume in the bottom of the second inning. On the line is a share of the MSC regular season championship.
The Lady Tigers will leave Friday, April 26 for Kingsport, Tenn., and begin play on Saturday in the Mid-South Conference Tournament. The bracket will be announced Tuesday night.
Campbellsville 10, St. Catharine 5
St. Catharine took control early against CU, grabbing a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning and staying on top until the sixth. Fortunately, two two-run homers from Taylor Borders and Adrean Jordan and one St. Catharine error allowed Campbellsville to clinch the lead. Campbellsville ended the game five ahead of SCC, 10-5.
St. Catharine certainly began the match-up in the driver's seat. Lead-off batter Hagan Goldey didn't waste any time for the Patriots, hitting her second pitch over the right field fence to begin the game. Second baseman Taylor Steff also went yard in the inning, with a two-run homer after Brandi Hood reached on a single (3-0 SCC).
Campbellsville managed to load the bases in the second, but couldn't push anyone across.
Fortunately, Borders got the energy going in the third with a shallow single to right-center. She was followed by two more singles from Jordan and Sara Paragon. Paragon placed the ball to deep right-center, allowing both Borders and Jordan to cross the plate for CU and put them on the heels of St. Catharine, 3-2.
Once again, Campbellsville loaded the bags in the fourth on three hits, but to no avail.
The hits finally unleashed in the sixth inning for the Lady Tigers, who used four hits and one SCC error for five runs. Emma Napier, who reached on a single to shallow left, crossed the plate first in the inning on a St. Catharine error which allowed Kristin Benton to reach safely as well.
Borders then hit a two-run homer to score both herself and Benton and was followed by another two-run homer from Jordan, scoring Heather Oakley who reached on a single (7-3 CU).
St. Catharine managed to put up two runs in the sixth, Steff with her second two-run homer of the game (7-5 CU).
The Campbellsville momentum wasn't finished, though, and three more runs were scored on two hits and a SCC error, finalizing the score at 10-5 Lady Tigers.
Three Lady Tigers managed three hits in the contest including Napier, Shelby Ray, and Borders. Oakley, Jordan, and Brooke Boils each had two while Benton and Paragon managed one.
Borders, Jordan, and Paragon each had two RBIs while Benton and Oakley had one a piece.
Victoria Decker claimed the win in the circle for CU, pitching the initial six innings, allowing five earned runs and six hits. Kelsi Pardue closed the game, striking out all three batters in the seventh.
Campbellsville 9, St. Catharine 1
The second contest against the Patriots began slowly, but finished with a CU slugfest, defeating the team 9-1 in six innings. Senior Emma Napier led the batting spree with three hits, while Kristin Benton used a three-run homer along with a single for four RBIs on the afternoon.
Kelsi Pardue took the win in the circle for Campbellsville, pitching five innings and allowing only one run and three hits while striking out 11. Martina Riney finished the game, allowing one hit and striking out one.
Campbellsville finally got the ball rolling after three scoreless innings. Kristin Benton reached first on a walk. Taylor Borders replaced Benton on first with a fielder's choice, and was hit in by an Adrean Jordan sac fly to right field, after being moved to third on a Heather Oakley single (1-0 CU).
Similar to the first game's sixth inning, the Lady Tigers unleashed four hits for five runs in the fifth. Senior Kacie Vincent was given a free base followed by Emma Napier who doubled to right-center. Benton followed, cleaning the bases with a three-run homer over the center-field fence on a 2-0 count.
Borders followed with a single to shallow center and was hit in by yet another long ball, this time an Oakley two-run homer (6-0 CU).
St. Catharine's only run came in the bottom of the inning off of two hits and two walks (6-1 CU).
Campbellsville added some security runs in the sixth, Vincent once again being the first to reach base on another walk. With two outs, Napier managed the first of three hits to come, CU ending the inning up, 9-1.
The game wrapped up early after St. Catharine was held scoreless in the bottom of the inning and unable to cut the deficit below eight.
Lady Tigers with hits include: Napier (3), Benton (2), Borders (2), and Oakley (2).
Benton finished with four RBIs followed by two from Oakley and one a piece from Jordan and Napier.
