Tigers end road trip with win and loss

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — The Iowa Wesleyan softball team took on Suffolk University and Jefferson College in their final two games on the road before returning back to Mt. Pleasant on Thursday and Saturday.

The Tigers defeated Suffolk on Thursday 7-2, before coming up short to Jefferson 12-2 on Saturday.

Iowa Wesleyan saw an opportunity early in the top of the first inning against Suffolk after a couple hits from Kara Krieger and Aspyn Harrison.

Unfortunately, the Rams would escape the inning with a strikeout, leaving three runners stranded on base.

Harrison began her game in the circle strong by striking out the first two batters and a line out to first base would send the game into the top of the second scoreless.

A slow second saw both teams go scoreless, but Harrison went three up three down with a strikeout and a couple of line outs to send it to the third.

An active third inning would give the Tigers a 2-0 lead over the Rams, powered by a double from Karoline Stratton to left center.

With two outs on the board, Emma Haines stepped in to pinch run for Stratton.

The next at-bat saw Julia Hill single, putting two runners on base.

A triple to center field by Alexis Davis would bring both runners in and give the Tigers a 2-0 advantage heading into the bottom of the third.

Harrison would once again take care of business, striking out two of the four Rams at the plate in the third.

The Tigers would give up their first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning, but they stopped the bleeding there.

Going into the top of the fifth with a 2-1 lead, the Tigers started to get hot. Another hit by Davis would put her on first base with only one out in the inning.

Cyndee Hopkins stepped in to pinch run as Kylie Topliff was walked. A wild pitch would advance both runners on base with Jordan Lantz up to bat. Lantz hit a perfect shot to center field, scoring Hopkins and Topliff, giving her a two RBI single to make it 4-1.

The Tigers weren't done yet, as triple to left field from Gracie Jevyak would bring Lantz in to score. With Jevyak on third, Harrison hit an RBI single through the left side to extend the lead, making it 6-1 before a flyout would end the top of the fifth.

A couple hits in the bottom of the fifth would help the Rams score another run, but that is all they could muster.

The Tigers scored another run in the seventh to give them a 7-2 lead, which is ultimately where the game would end.

Offensively, the Tigers were led by Aspyn Harrison with three hits, followed by Gracie Jevyak, Jordan Lantz, Julia Hill, and Alexis Davis all recording two hits of their own. Jevyak, Lantz, and Davis were able to bring two runners across home plate, earning two RBI's each with Harrison adding one RBI against the Rams.

The Tigers saw Aspyn Harrison start in the circle for the last game in Myrtle Beach against the Jefferson College Rams. A slow start from both teams offensively would reflect a 0-0 score after the first inning.

Heading into the top of the second, the Rams were able to reach base off an error by the Tigers and a single, but a ground out would retire the side with two runners left on base.

The Tigers were able to score the first run of the game in the bottom half of the second after Harrison stepped up to the plate and hit a one run homer over the fence to earn her first home run in a Tiger uniform.

After two strikeouts and a groundout to the shortstop, the side would be retired.

Both teams went three up, three down in the third to send it into the top of the fourth with the Tigers ahead 1-0.

Great work by the Tiger gloves helped them power through the top of the fourth, keeping the Rams from reaching home plate.

The bottom of the fourth saw Gracie Jevyak score the second run of the game and take a 2-0 lead.

After reaching base by error, she was able to make her way to third before being brought in off a single by Karoline Stratton. The Tigers would leave one runner on base as they head into the fifth inning.

In the top of the fifth, Jefferson was able to score a run starting by a hit batter and finishing with a double to cut the lead in half, making it 2-1. This is all the damage they would be able to do in the fifth as the Tigers went scoreless to send it into the top of the sixth.

The game changed in the sixth inning.

Jefferson went on to bring 11 runs across home plate giving itself full control at 12-2 in favor of Jefferson College.

The damage would prove to be too much to overcome.

The Tigers stand at 4-13 overall on the season.

They were led offensively by Aspyn Harrison and Karoline Stratton, both recording one hit and one RBI.

The Tigers will return to action next Saturday, March 18 in St. Louis to take on Harris-Stowe State University.

That game is set to kick off at 1 p.m.