MURFREESBORO – It was the same as a heavyweight boxing fight.

Chowan University and Shepherd University did nine rounds (innings) of battle in back-to-back games here Tuesday. Unfortunately for the home team, Shepherd was able to pull out the victory in the ninth frame of both contests; beating Chowan 5-4 and 9-8.

In game one the Hawks fell behind thanks to a Megan Holmes solo homerun to left field in the top of the second.

Despite opportunities for both clubs, that score would remain until the bottom of the fifth frame when Chowan scored a pair of runs and may have scored three times.

Megan Wade started off the third inning with a single to right field. Pinch runner Katie Duncan then swiped second before coming around to score on a Liz Hipple double to right-centerfield. That tied the game at 1-all.

Lacey Wildeboer then laced a single to right, which sent Hipple all the way around to score. She was called safe, giving the Hawks the lead. The safe call was temporary, however, as the home plate umpire conferred with his counterpart and then changed the call to out.

Chowan didn’t let the setback bother them, however, as Alex Allen singled moments later and scored Wildeboer, who had taken second on the throw home and then stole third.

Allen stole second and then moved to third when Allie Kolezynski singled. Kolezynski then swiped second, but the threat ended on a pop fly to left field.

Chowan’s 2-1 lead didn’t last long, however, as Sam McQuade belted a two-out home in the top of the sixth to tie the contest.

Neither team put a runner aboard in the seventh and the game went to extra frames.

In extra innings, teams begin with a runner on second base. Shepherd did so with Chelsie Oals aboard in the eighth. They quickly moved her to third on a sacrifice and she came around to score on an RBI-single by Amber Dudeck.

The Rams threatened to score again when Dudeck went to second on a single by Nichole Pitcock. The bases were then loaded when McQuade drew a walk.

Kolezynski, however, struck out the next batter to leave the Hawks down by a single run.

With Wildeboer on second, the Hawks were able to score again in the eighth. Wildeboer took third on a wild pitch. Kolezynski singled and stole second giving the Hawks runners at second and third.

A groundout by Fahren Munro scored Wildeboer to tie the game and sent Kolezynski to third. A groundout ended the inning with the game still tied.

In the ninth, Kolezynski started the inning by inducing a pop fly from Cammie Orlandi to leave Bianca Biondillo on second. Tiffany Farmer, however, belted a triple to score Biondillo. She then scored on a groundout by Oals to make it 5-3.

With Tricia Gorman at second, the Hawks started the ninth on a sacrifice by Mindy Byrd.

Wade was then hit by a pitch before Liz Sill laced a single to right-center to score Gorman and move Kayla Brady (in the game for Sill) to second.

Unfortunately for the Hawks, the rally died there as a strikeout and a fly out ended the contest.

Chowan spread out its seven hits with Wildeboer, Kolezynski, Sill, Munro, Wade, Hipple and Allen each recording one hit.