Saints Split Two Games to Open Season at Bear Creek Tournament

(ONEIDA, Tenn.) – The Thomas More University softball team went 1-1 on Saturday (February 22, 2020), picking up a wild 17-14 win over University of Rio Grande before falling 9-3 to Lawrence Tech University in the second game at the Bear Creek Tournament in Oneida, Tennessee.

RIO GRANDE GAME

• Rio Grande scored five in the top of the first but Thomas More answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame. Sophomore Baylee Hobeika (Colerain, Ohio/Colerain) scored on a ground out by sophomore Elana Harrison (Mason, Ohio/Mason), and senior Amanda Lloyd (Alexandria, Ky./Bishop Brossart) drove in sophomore Taylor Peterson (Wilder, Ky./Campbell County) with a single.
• The Red Storm scored three more in the second inning before the Saints scored five of their own to cut Rio Grande's lead to 8-7. Senior Kianah Towe (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East) led off with a home run, sophomore Lindsey Meier (Fort Wright, Ky./Notre Dame Academy) doubled home first-year Mattison Fisher (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills), Hobeika scored on a popout by Harrison, and Lloyd drove in Meier and senior Andrea Gahan (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) on a two-out double.
• Thomas More took a 13-8 lead with a six-run fourth. Lloyd knocked in Meier with a bases-loaded single, then sophomore Adrian Marquez (Rushville, Ind./Rushville Consolidated) drove in Gahan and junior Valerie Hudepohl (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) with a two-run double. Sydney Turner (Harrison, Ohio/Harrison) singled to bring in Lloyd and Marquez, then scored herself on a Fisher double.
• The Red Storm scored four in the top of the fifth, but the Saints struck back with four of their own on a grand slam by Towe to take a 17-12 lead. Gahan, Lloyd, and Marquez scored on Towe's blast, her second homer of the game.
• Rio Grande scored two in the sixth, but that ended the scoring as Thomas More held on for a 17-14 win.

• Towe led the offense with two home runs and five RBIs.
• Gahan was 3-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, and three runs scored.
• Lloyd was 3-for-4 with a double, three RBIs, and two runs.
• Hobeika was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs.
• Marquez was 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, two RBIs, and two runs.
• Meier was 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and two runs.
• Fisher was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and a run.
• Turner was 1-for-3 with a walk, two RBIs, and a run.

• Towe pitched a complete game and earned the win, allowing 11 earned runs on 15 hits and six walks with two strikeouts.

LAWRENCE TECH GAME

• The Blue Devils struck first with two runs in the bottom of the first inning.
• Lawrence Tech added another in the third to take a 3-0 lead.
• The Saints scored in the top of the fourth when Lloyd drove in sophomore Ashley Pollard (Florence, Ky./St. Henry) on a two-out single.
• The Blue Devils struck back with three runs in the bottom of the fourth.
• Thomas More scored two in the top of the sixth when Harrison singled to bring in Hobeika and Meier to cut Lawrence Tech's lead to 6-3.
• Lawrence Tech added on in the bottom of the sixth with three runs to make it a 9-3 game.

• Harrison went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
• Lloyd was 1-for-3 with an RBI.
• Meier was 1-for-2 with a double and a run.
• Hobeika was 1-for-3 with a run.

• First-year Annika Gels (Eaton, Ohio/Eaton) was the losing pitcher as she threw five innings and allowed four earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out seven.
• First-year Emily Wisman (Okeana, Ohio/Harrison) pitched two-thirds of an inning with a walk and a strikeout.
• Sophomore Ashley Leicht (Alexandria, Ky./Campbell County) allowed three earned runs on five hits in a third of an inning.

• The Saints moved to 1-1 overall.

• Thomas More will battle Rio Grande and Webber International University tomorrow (February 23) in the final day of the Bear Creek Tournament.