PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Towson University junior Missy McCormick won her 12th game of the season as part of a victory over Drexel by a 2-1 score in the opening game of a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) doubleheader on Friday afternoon.
The Tigers (23-18, 3-5 CAA) dropped a 9-1 decision to the Dragons in game two in five innings.
In game one, McCormick allowed only three hits while throwing all seven innings and allowing just one run. The dozen victories is somewhat of a milestone for the junior. McCormick had won a total of 11 games in her previous two seasons. She has now eclipsed that total in one year. The effort was her fifth complete game of the year.
The Tigers scored the game's first run thanks to some heads up base-running by Olivia Yarbrough in the first inning. The sophomore led off the game with a walk and then stole second base. With one out, she then advanced to third base on a wild pitch and came home on an error by Drexel to put the Tigers in front, 1-0.
As it has done for much of the year, Towson's middle of the order continued to produce, adding another run the fourth inning. Freshman catcher Holiday Cahill, batting cleanup, smashed a doubled to left centerfield with two outs and no runners on base, getting in scoring position for senior Delanie Dunham. The third baseman hit a single up the middle and allowed Cahill to cross home plate for a 2-0 Tiger lead.
In the bottom of the inning, Drexel cut the Tiger lead on a sacrifice fly from Baeley Reed that scored Shelby Taylor to make the score 2-1.
Yarbrough finished one-for-two with the run scored and a pair of walks for Towson in the win.
Taylor was the hard-luck loser, pitching well for Drexel (17-18, 4-7 CAA) but taking the loss. She allowed one earned run and four hits in seven innings.
The Tigers scored first again in game two, as Dunham stayed hot by hitting her fourth homerun of the season. The slugger's solo shot gave Towson a 1-0 advantage in the second inning.
However, Drexel's offense came to life in the third inning, scoring four runs. The quartet of runs all came with two outs in the inning. Taylor, Karli Boyer and Liana Newton had run-scoring hits.
Then in the fourth, with the Dragons holding a 5-1 lead, Taylor hit a three-run homer to give Drexel an 8-1 edge.
The game ended when Leticia Matsuoka singled down the leftfield line in the fifth inning, scoring Jourdan Skirha and lifting the Dragons to the win via the run rule.
Yarbrough, Balk, Dunham and McCormick had hits in game two for Towson.
The teams conclude the conference series on Saturday with a single game at noon.
