PULASKI, Tenn. – The Martin Methodist Softball team picked up a pair of victories over Top 25 squads this weekend at the East Campus.
On Friday, the RedHawks snagged a 2-1 10-inning victory over No. 6 William Carey (Miss.) University and then followed up with a 2-0 win over No. 14 University of Mobile (Ala.) on Saturday afternoon.
The RedHawks (23-17, 13-13 SSAC) entered the weekend with just one win in their last six contests, but played some of their best softball of the season against their highly-ranked competition. In addition to the two victories, the RedHawks suffered their two losses on the weekend by just a combined four runs.
Friday's contest provided the most drama of the weekend as the RedHawks outlasted William Carey in a 10-inning thriller. After nine shutout innings, the RedHawks allowed one run with the aid of the International Tiebreaker in the top of the 10th, but quickly responded with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame for the dramatic victory.
Morgan May led the inning off with a single that moved Kaycee Hurd to third base. May was then bunted into scoring position herself on a sacrifice from Samantha Wilson. Taylor Hurford's pinch-hit single plated Hurd for the game-tying run, but May was thrown out while trying to stretch home the game-winner. Back-to-back infield errors loaded the bases for the RedHawks as Nikki Hodges smacked a single out to deep left field to plate Hurford and give the RedHawks the win.
Saturday's victory might not have proved as dramatic, but it was just as important as the RedHawks scored what proved to be the game-winning run in the bottom of the first and never looked back in the shutout win over Mobile.
The RedHawks manufactured their first run of the afternoon after Dharianna Familia led off with a single to center. The junior moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt from Taylor Moore and came in to score three batters later on a sacrifice fly from Taylor Ferguson.
From there, the RedHawks would record just two hits the rest of the ballgame, but tacked on a critical insurance run in the sixth when Hurford ripped a double to deep center that plated pinch runner Brittany Bishop.
Bishop collected both wins on the mound on the weekend for the RedHawks as she scattered seven hits in 10 innings on Friday and allowed just two hits in her start against Mobile on Saturday. The wins improved the first-year pitcher to 8-5 on the season, with seven of said victories coming against SSAC competition.
In addition to the victories, the weekend was a special one for the RedHawks, who celebrated Autism Awareness Day on Friday and said goodbye to four seniors during Senior Day ceremonies Saturday. Alley Benefield, Samantha Wilson, Hannah Reeder and Megan Anderson were honored in between the first and second games of Saturday's doubleheader and thanked for their commitment to the RedHawk Softball program on and off the diamond.
The wins improved the RedHawks to .500 in league play with just one conference series remaining.
The RedHawks will close their 2015 home campaign on Monday, April 20 with a twinbill against Cumberland (Tenn.) University and cap their regular season with a road trip to conference rival Bethel (Tenn.) University on Saturday, April 25.
