Baseball split the first two games of their three game series with Southwest Tennessee on Thursday.
In the first game, the Cougars won 6-0 in seven innings. LF Lance Dockery and DH Brock Browning were both 1-for-3 with 2 RBI each. Dockery also hit a home run in the game. CF Tucker Mendenhall (1-for-3) and RF Reid Nelson (2-for-3) drove in the other two runs. SP Ryan Inches pitched a complete game shutout, striking out seven.
In the second game, Cleveland State suffered a 7-3 loss. The Saluqis built up a 5-0 lead by the fourth inning, but in the fifth inning, Mendenhall (1-for-4) hit a two-run homer and brought the Cougars to within three runs. In the sixth inning, 1B Caleb Hopkins (1-for-3) hit a double, advancing SS Jonathan Hickman (1-for-2) to third, where he scored on an error and brought the score to 5-3. However, the rally was not enough to overcome the Saluqi offense.
The two teams will face each other in the rubber match tomorrow at 12:00 ET with a special Sophomore Day ceremony prior to the first pitch at 11:45 ET.
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Softball swept their two games at home with Southwest Tennessee on Thursday.
In the first game, the Lady Cougars won 5-0. SS Aubrie Bowman hit a three-run home run in the second inning to put the Cougars on the board. SP Kaitlyn Pickens was started game one and allowed no earned runs.
In the second game, Cleveland State won 8-6. The game did not come without its share of dramatics. With the game tied 6-6 in the ninth inning, 3B Hannah Turner secured the win for the Lady Cougars by hitting a walk-off, two-run home run.
Cleveland State will be back in action tomorrow at 12:00 ET as they will look to repeat today’s results in their doubleheader with the Lady Saluqis tomorrow and sweep the series. They will also honor their sophomores in between games of the doubleheader.