BURLINGTON, N.C. – Facing elimination in the Conference Carolinas Softball Tournament, fourth seeded King University came away with a win over seventh seed Barton College. The Tornado did their damage in the middle innings, taking the contest 7-3.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: No. 4 King 7, No. 7 Barton 3
LOCATION: Springwood Park; Burlington, N.C.
RECORDS: King 32-18; Barton 24-27

OFFENSIVE HIGHLIGHTS

• Kaycee Casteel went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and one run batted in.
• Kay Brokering recorded three hits in four at bats and drove in one.
• For Barton, Megan Kelly went 2-for-4.

PITCHING HIGHLIGHTS

• Emma Hughes tossed all seven innings for King, allowing three runs, one earned on seven hits.
• Barton's Makayla Meeks got the start and lasted two-thirds of an inning.
• Sierra Heap took the loss, allowing one run on one hit in one and two-thirds innings.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Summer Hayes started the King half of the second inning with a single and moved to third on a walk before advancing to third on a wild pitch.
• Hayes then scored on a wild pitch, giving the Tornado a 1-0 lead.
• King added to their lead in the third inning when Erin Roper drove in Kaycee Casteel who started the frame with a walk.
• With the bases loaded, Hayes and Becca Gold were each hit by pitches, forcing in a pair of runs to give King a 4-0 advantage.
• The Tornado extended their advantage to 6-0 in the fourth when Casteel started the frame with an 11-pitch at bat. On the final pitch she single to shortstop to get the rally going.
• Casteel later scored on a Hannah Riddle triple. Kay Brokering then followed with a single to centerfield, scoring Riddle and giving King the 6-0 lead.
• In the fifth inning, Casteel came up with a two-out double that scored Olivia Lawson, stretching the King lead to 7-0.
• Barton took advantage of a King miscue in the sixth to score a pair. The Bulldogs later added another on a groundout, cutting their deficit to 7-3.
• However, that was all the Bulldogs would get as Hughes finished the game in the seventh, giving King the 7-3 win.

UP NEXT

• King will face the loser between No. 2 Limestone College and No. 3 North Greenville University at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday.
• Barton is eliminated.