The Skyhawk softball team saw two opportunities for victory slip away in a doubleheader against MTSU on Feb. 28.

Junior outfielder Justine Pineda hit a clutch home run for the Skyhawks with no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning of the opener, cutting the Blue Raider lead to 6-4. Brandy Whalen led off the inning with a single and advanced to second when Brittany Nash reached on a fielder’s choice. Pineda’s homer and two more singles followed before the first out of the inning was recorded. After Fallon Lowery walked to load the bases, the Blue Raiders recorded consecutive outs to end the game.

The Skyhawks struck first in the second inning when Whalen scored an unearned run on a double by Emily Webb. Whalen had reached base as the result of an error by Blue Raider shortstop Shelby Stiner.

After retiring the Blue Raiders in order in the first inning, Skyhawk starting pitcher Ashton Strode ran into trouble in the second inning. Ashley Ledbetter led off the inning with a home run to knot the score at 1-1. That was followed by two more base hits and another run in the inning.

The Blue Raiders tacked on three more runs in the top of the fourth inning to take a commanding 5-1 lead. Strode was replaced on the mound by junior Holly Templeton after allowing five total runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings. She also walked two batters and struck out three.

Templeton entered the game with the bases loaded and the Skyhawks trailing 2-1. The Blue Raiders welcomed her rudely, scoring three runs on three hits and a Skyhawk error.

The Skyhawks had an opportunity to cut into the lead in the home half of the fifth inning. Whalen led off with a single and advanced to second on a groundout by Nash. Pineda was hit by a pitch and Jennifer Young walked to load the bases with two outs. The rally was halted when Stacy Weaver struck out to end the inning.

The pitchers dominated the last three innings of the game leading up to the Skyhawks’ last-ditch effort to pull off the win. Templeton held the Blue Raiders in check, allowing only two hits and one run over the final two innings. Blue Raider reliever Trish White escaped the fifth inning without allowing a run and retired the Skyhawks in order in the sixth inning.

The loss dropped Strode’s record on the season to 2-3.

The second half of the doubleheader featured pitching, defense, and a strange ending. Skyhawk starter Ashley Myatt allowed only one hit in seven innings on the mound. The freshman from Dickson retired 22 of the 25 hitters she faced in the game. Pineda picked up the game’s first hit in the bottom of the first but was stranded on second base. Young found herself in the same situation one inning later. The Skyhawks were unable to move runners past second base on several occasions throughout the game.

MTSU struck first in the fourth inning when leftfielder Kristine Reed scored on an error by Skyhawk shortstop Greer Long. The Skyhawks committed three errors in the game. After that, the pitchers regained control of the game until the Skyhawks’ Savannah Roberts tied the game with a one-out home run in the fifth inning.

The Skyhawks threatened to win the game in the bottom of the seventh inning, putting runners on second and third with two outs. Christa Webb flied out to left to end the inning. The umpires then made the decision to suspend play with the score tied at 1-1 due to impending darkness. Myatt and MTSU starter Ashley Katinas were given no decisions.