PULASKI, Tenn.—The Thomas Night Hawks took one of two games on the road against the UT Southern Firehawks on Saturday afternoon.
Thomas 9 UT Southern 1
Sierra Ussery delivered a dominant performance in the circle and helped her own cause with a two-run home run as Thomas University pulled away late for a victory over UT Southern in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader.
Ussery tossed a complete-game four-hitter, striking out five without issuing a walk, and allowed just one unearned run in the seventh inning. She also went 2-for-4 at the plate, blasting a two-run homer in the fifth inning to extend Thomas' lead.
The Night Hawks broke through in the fourth with a pair of runs, then added two more in the fifth and one in the sixth before exploding for four runs in the seventh to seal it.
Grace Hodges sparked the offense from the top of the order, going 3-for-4 with two triples and an RBI. Regining SSAC Player of the Week Annalise Buncy added a 2-for-3 effort with three RBIs, including a two-out double in the fifth that drove in a pair.
Thomas tallied 12 hits on the day, with seven different players recording at least one. Darian Pippin chipped in with a 3-for-3 game, while Alexis Adams and Maggie Colgan combined to score two runs in the middle of the order.
Ella Singletary took the loss for Tennessee Southern, surrendering six runs — three earned — over six innings. She did contribute at the plate with a 2-for-2 effort.
Thomas 2 UT Southern 6
Buncy's two-run double in the third inning gave Thomas an early lead, but the Night Hawks couldn't hold off a late rally by the Firehawks, falling in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.
Buncy continued her strong day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs, both coming on a double that opened the scoring. She was one of four Night Hawks to tally multiple hits, as Thomas collected nine hits in the contest.
Thomas starter Baileigh Herrera allowed just one run through four innings before Tennessee Southern broke through with one in the fifth and four more in the sixth. Darian Pippin and Emylee Mountin combined in relief, but the Firehawks capitalized on defensive miscues and timely hits to take control.
Rileigh Spinosa and Herrera both went 2-for-3 at the plate, and Hodges scored a run and added a hit for Thomas, which left 10 runners on base and couldn't add on after the third inning.
The Night Hawks return to action tomorrow against Blue Mountain at 4:00PM CST / 5:00PM EST.
