MEMPHIS - The Rhodes College softball team erased a 6-1 deficit on Saturday afternoon with four in the fifth and two in the sixth to come-from-behind and defeat Southwestern, 7-6. They would later fall to 10th-ranked Emory, 5-0.
It was all Pirates early on as Southwestern jumped out to a 5-0 lead through only three innings of play. Rhodes got their first run of the game off a RBI double from junior
Christine Hume, but Southwestern got that run back in the fifth to move ahead 6-1.
Hume singled home a run in the bottom half of the fifth followed by a RBI single by senior
Rachel Pewitt to make it a 6-3 game. Junior
Aubrey Blackstock continued to swing a hot stick as she doubled home two more runs to suddenly make it a one run game.
In the sixth, senior
Erin Parker tied the game on a fielder's choice while Hume drove in the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly to put Rhodes ahead for the first time, 7-6.
From there, freshman
Bri Maniscalco notched the first save of her career, putting the Pirates down for the victory. Sophomore
Caroline Reilly earned the win, pitching 5.2 innings and allowing three runs on seven hits to go with two strikeouts. Sophomore
Allison Long got the start, but only lasted 0.2 inning.
Junior
Caroline Sutton finished 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored while Hume went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored. Sophomore
Kirsten Samuels went 2-for-3 on the day with two runs scored. Blackstock added a pair of RBIs while Parker added a hit, a RBI, and a run scored.
In the second game, Maniscalco was strong in limiting an excellent offensive team in the Emory Eagles, but Rhodes could not get anything going at the plate, eventually falling 5-0. She finished going 5.2 innings, allowing five runs on six hits on the day. Long pitched the final 1.1 innings, allowing only one hit.
The Lynx only had three hits on the afternoon coming from Hume, Samuels, and freshman
Kendall Henry.
Rhodes moves to 21-18 overall and will prepare to take on the Pirates against at 11 AM and the Eagles at 3 PM. Get to the ball park early for the Southwestern game as the Lynx will honor their three series prior to first pitch.