Final Score: Lipscomb: 5, Akron: 6
Location: Nashville, Tenn. (Ken Dugan Field)
Records: Lipscomb: 2-1, Akron: 1-2
THE SHORT STORY: Lipscomb Baseball drops back-and-forth affair 6-5 in final game of opening weekend series against Akron.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Ike Buxton started off strong on the hill with a three up, three down inning, striking out the side. Neither team was able to mount any real offense through the first two innings, but Akron struck first with a run in the top of the third for a 1-0 lead.
It took Lipscomb until the bottom of the fourth to respond, but
Trace Willhoite quickly tied things up with one swing of the bat. He hammered his first homer of the year over the left field fence to tie things 1-1 after the fourth.
The Zips got the run back in the top of the fifth when the leadoff batter reached on an error and eventually came around to score for a 2-1 lead.
Jared Shemper came on in relief for the top of the sixth and retired the Zips in order to keep the Bisons close. In the bottom of the inning, Lipscomb tied things back up.
Mason Lundgrin put the tying run aboard with a one-out double to left center field. After Lundgrin advanced to third on a wild pitch, Willhoite drove him in with a nice piece of one-out hitting for a 2-2 tie at the end of six.
Akron, however, once again responded with a pair of runs in the fourth to take a 4-2 lead.
Once again Lipscomb dug in for a seventh inning rally. With one out,
John Shields and
Chaz Bertolani worked back-to-back walks and made a good double steal. The Akron catcher overthrew the second base bag on the play and Shields took advantage and came around to score to cut the Akron lead 4-3. After advancing to third on a passed ball, Bertolani scored the tying run when
David Coppedge singled through the left side. With two outs and runners on the corners, Coppedge scored the go-ahead run in an unconventional way, stealing home for a 5-4 lead after seven complete innings.
Keeping with the theme of the game, the Zips battled back in the top of the eighth with a pair of runs to retake a 6-5 lead. Akron threatened to do more damage in the top of the ninth with runners on first and second and one out. After a single was hit into shallow left field, the Akron runner on second was headed for home plate, but
Rudy Maxwell made a brilliant throw to Bertolani at the plate to get the runner out.
John Cheatwood got a strikeout to end the inning to give Lipscomb one last shot on offense.
The Bisons were nearly able to tie it back up with runners on the corners and two outs, but a long fly ball ended the game preventing the Lipscomb sweep.
HERD NOTES
- Willhoite led the Lipscomb offense with two RBI a hit and a run.
- The Bisons stranded five on base and were outhit 10-5.
- Six Bisons saw time on the mound with Matthew Maldonado taking the loss.
UP NEXT
Lipscomb Baseball will be back in action Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 3 p.m. CT against Western Kentucky at Ken Dugan Field.
