MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Austin College softball team improved to 4-2 on the year after picking up a pair of victories at Rhodes, topping Mississippi University for Women 5-3 in their first game of the day before topping the host school 7-4 to wrap up their first day of their four-day Tennessee road trip.
Game one was scoreless through the first two and a half innings before Elizabeth Preston singled and then came all the way around on an error to score, and Lyndsey Busch added a two-run base hit in the fourth to put the 'Roos on top 3-0. MUW managed to get all three runs back in the top of the fifth to square things up, but in the bottom half of the inning, Chyrsi Hemby doubled home Carrie Johnson for what would wind up being the game-winning run, and Hemby later scored on a base hit by Kaitlyn Barrett to make it a 5-3 game through five frames.
Hemby and Barrett each went 2-for-3 to pace the 'Roos in the win, with Hemby scoring twice, and Alexus Johnson went the distance in the circle to earn her second victory of the year. Johnson gave up three runs on 11 hits with a walk and five strikeouts, while MUW was paced by a 2-for-4 performance with an RBI from Jessica Deming.
The 'Roos jumped on top 1-0 in the top of the first against Rhodes on the strength of an RBI double from Hemby, but the Lynx managed to even things up in the bottom of the second. Tessa Contreras put Austin College on top 4-1 in the third with a three-run double, and she'd later come around to score on a base knock by Busch to make it a 5-1 heading into the bottom of the third. Rhodes got one run back in the back half of the inning, and they'd add another in the fourth and one more in the fifth following a throwing error to cut it to a 5-4 game. Faith Butler came home on a passed ball in the top of the sixth to give the 'Roos a 6-4 lead, and the margin would grow to 7-4 later in the inning on an RBI double from Barrett to seal the win.
Hailie Swiatkowski threw a complete game for Austin College to earn the win, giving up four runs, including three earned, on 10 hits. Tori Fowler went 2-for-4 with two runs, and Contreras finished the game 1-for-3 with three RBI to lead the 'Roos offensively. Madison Granberry went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored to pace Rhodes. Austin College will take on both MUW and Rhodes again tomorrow, with game times set for 10:00 a.m. and noon, respectively, before the team heads to Maryville for another pair of games on Monday and two more at Sewanee on Tuesday.