Jazmine Johnson/ The Towerlight

With the help of eight strikeouts by pitcher Katie Lingmai, Towson (20-22, 5-7 Colonial Athletic Association) earned a series-clinching 2-1 victory over the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks (7-34, 2-10 CAA) on Sunday.

Lingmai tossed seven innings, allowing only one run and four hits en route to her 12th win of the season. She lowered her team-leading earned run average to 2.07 on the year.

After a quiet first inning, infielder Macie McGeehan got the Tigers started in the second with a double that went over the Seahawks’ center fielder. Third baseman Delanie Dunham drove in McGeehan after center fielder Jillian Donnelly moved her to third with a single.

The Tigers loaded the bases after Dunham’s single, but first baseman Andrea Stevenson’s line drive caught the glove of Seahawk first baseman Jordan Critcher to end the inning.
Infielder Hailey Balk extended her hitting streak to 12 games in the third inning with a double. Outfielder Brianna Jones hit a ground ball to second that went below the Seahawk second baseman’s glove, allowing Balk to score the second run of the game.

“We allowed them to make mistakes, which we were able to capitalize on, and we hit the ball pretty hard,” Head Coach Lisa Costello said. “If we do that and Katie pitches the way she’s been pitching, we’ll be OK.”

With a 2-0 lead to work with, Lingmai remained strong throughout the game. She struck out UNC-W batters in six of her seven innings of work.

The Tigers contributed two double plays to Lingmai’s effort, including one where outfielder Kelli Lyons caught a fly ball and forced a tag out of a Seahawk base runner trying to tag up. With the help of Lingmai and the Towson defense, the score stood at 2-0 going into the seventh inning.

“We’ve been fairly steady defensively this year,” Costello said. “The only time we get ourselves in trouble is when we’re not hitting. But we put the ball in play pretty well today.”

Ashley Shingleton gave the Seahawks an opportunity to score with a lead-off double in the seventh inning. With one out, Lauryn Buckworth doubled to left field, scoring Shingleton and putting the pressure on Lingmai to close the game. Lingmai responded by striking out her eighth batter and forcing a fly ball to Lyons to clinch the victory.

A four-run sixth inning helped save the Tigers from their second-straight loss to the Seahawks Saturday, winning 6-5.

Stevenson earned a walk to begin the game, which gave Towson an early opportunity to score.

After Stevenson was moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and a single, a wild pitch allowed her to score the game’s first run. Outfielder Erika Stasch drove in Jones to give the Tigers a two-run lead going into the second inning.

UNC-W left runners on base in the second and third innings, but did not tally a run until the fourth inning. Shingleton scored on a pass after her lead-off double put her in scoring position.

The Seahawks got on the board and took the lead in the sixth inning when Buckworth homered in Critcher, who had singled earlier in the inning.

Down 3-2, Towson needed a big inning and got one, compiling four runs on three hits in the bottom of the frame.

Balk got the Tigers started with a lead-off double, which led to a Jones RBI double to tie the game. After a McGeehan single and a Stasch walk loaded the bases for Towson, two runners scored on a Donnelly fielder’s choice.
Lyons drove in Stasch with a sacrifice fly to give the Tigers a 6-3 lead going into the last inning.

The Seahawks put two runners on base in the seventh inning with a double and a single. Buckworth delivered again, doubling and driving in both Shingleton and Camry Wagner with two outs. Stacey stepped to the plate with the tying run on second and singled, but pinch runner Olivia Poplin was caught out at third base to end the game.

“Winning that series was huge,” Costello said. “We are where we are right now and all we can do is try to attack George Mason.”

The Tigers will face Delaware State away on Wednesday, and then come home to meet Georgetown Thursday, setting up a weekend series against CAA foe George Mason.