Tusculum Latest Victim in LMU Softball Win Streak

HARROGATE, TN – The Lincoln Memorial University softball team extended its winning streak to nine games Tuesday afternoon by knocking off the visiting Lady Pioneers of Tusculum College 1-0 and 6-4 to move to 15-5 on the year.

Tuesday’s first game wasn’t decided until the bottom of the seventh inning when LMU freshman Danielle Cooper (Concord, NH) hit a walk-off-single that scored teammate Alisa Burk (Blaine, WA) to win the game.

Lady Railsplitter junior hurler Brittney Walker (Chattanooga, TN) improved to 8-2 on the year by winning the defensive pitchers dual.  Walker pitched the full seven innings, giving up four hits and no runs, with one walk and four strikeouts.

Tusculum’s Monica Funigiello fell to 5-5 on the year with the loss in the first game.  Despite giving up only one run, Funigiello gave up six hits including the RBI single that won the game for Lincoln Memorial, while walking only one batter and striking out five.

In the second game of the afternoon, LMU jumped on Tusculum early.  The Lady Railsplitters put three runs across the plate in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back, eventually coming away with the 6-4 win.

Junior Gina Grace (Placerville, CA) led by example at the plate, going three for four in the game, while teammate Tiffany Evans (Bowling Green, KY) was one for two with a walk, two RBI and her seventh homerun of the year.

Senior Danielle Sowders (Knoxville, TN) went two for four at the plate with a run batted in, while Brittney Walker was one for four with an RBI and Amanda Wampler (Powell, TN) finished one for three with one run knocked in.

Jessica Stewart (Loudon, TN) picked up the win in Tuesday’s second game, improving to 6-2.  Stewart pitched 6.1 innings, giving up eight hits, four runs and four earned runs, while walking one batter and striking out one.  Sophomore Kelly Click (Ashland, OH) entered in the final inning and picked up the save by retiring the final two batters via a pair of strikeouts.  

Kassie Killion got the loss for the Lady Pioneers in game-two.  Killion went only two thirds of an inning, allowing two hits and three runs, before giving way to Megan DuBois who pitched the next 3.1 innings of work.  DuBois allowed five Lady Railsplitter hits, two runs and two earned runs, while walking five batters and striking out four.  Monica Funigiello came in to try and clean up the mess by throwing the final two innings for Tusculum.  She gave up only one hit, one run and one earned run with a walk.

The LMU women will try to extend their winning streak to 11 games Wednesday afternoon when they play host to non-conference opponent Alderson Broaddus at home on the Dorothy Neely Field at 2:00 p.m.  The double-header will be the Lady Railsplitters' last home series until March 25^th and 26^th when they play their first GSC home series of the year against Valdosta State University.

Lincoln Memorial 1, Tusculum 0 (Mar 07, 2006 at Harrogate, TN) (Game 1)
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Tusculum............ 000 000 0 -  0  4  0      (8-10-2)
Lincoln Memorial.... 000 000 1 -  1  6  2      (14-5)
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Pitchers: Tusculum - Monica Funigiello. Lincoln Memorial - Brittney Walker.
Win-Brittney Walker(8-2)  Loss-Monica Funigiello(5-5)  T-1:27  A-110

Lincoln Memorial 6, Tusculum 4 (Mar 07, 2006 at Harrogate, TN) (Game 2)
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Tusculum............ 010 030 0 -  4  8  1      (8-11-2)
Lincoln Memorial.... 310 101 X -  6  8  0      (15-5)
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Pitchers: Tusculum - Kassie Killion; Megan DuBois(1); Monica Funigiello(5). Lincoln Memorial -
Jessica Stewart; Kelly Click(7).
Win-Jessica Stewart(6-2)  Save-Kelly Click(1)  Loss-Kassie Killion(3-3)  T-2:00  A-110
HR TC - Brie Griffin (2).
HR LMU - Tiffany Evans (7).


DuBois faced 2 batters in the 5th.