COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Benedict College Lady Tigers swept a non-conference doubleheader over Columbia College on Tuesday afternoon, getting a huge game from Olivia Townsend in the first game and rallying to win the second game.
 
Benedict won the first game 13-5 in five innings as Townsend hit three home runs on three trips to the plate and drove in six runs. She also picked up the pitching win.
 
In the second game, Benedict had a 4-2 lead after three innings, but the Koalas scored one run in the sixth and three in the seventh to pull ahead 6-4. The Lady Tigers rallied with three runs in the bottom of the seventh, scoring the winning run on a fielding error.
 
Benedict improves to 20-14 on the season, as the Lady Tigers avenged a doubleheader loss at Columbia College earlier this season. Columbia College falls to 11-10.
 
The Koalas had a 2-1 lead after the first inning of the first game. Then Benedict scored eight runs in the second, as Townsend led off the inning with a solo homer, then came up to bat again later in the inning and smashed a two-run blast to left-center field. Chesney Miller also had a two-run homer in the inning. On Townsend's next at-bat in the third inning, she sent the ball over the fence in left-center field and drove in three runs. Deyonce Lewis went 2-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs on a double in the second inning. Taylor McNeal went 3-for-4 and drove in a run. Taylor Wilson also drove in a run on a third-inning double.
 
In the second game, Deneisha Wooten hit a two-run homer to center field to give Benedict a 2-1 lead in the first inning. The Koalas tied the game in the third inning. Shaylin Pollock gave the Lady Tigers the lead by driving in two runs with a single.
 
Columbia College cut the lead to 4-3 with a run in the sixth, then scored three runs on five hits and a Benedict error in the top of the seventh to take a 6-4 lead.
 
McNeal led off the bottom of the seventh with a single and came home on a triple by Miller. Miller scored to tie the game on an error, Taylor Wilson singled, and another error allowed Wooten to score the game-winning run with one out.
 
Benedict travels to Fort Valley State this weekend for a three-game conference series.