COLUMBUS, Ga. – The King University softball team got off to a hot start at the Columbus State University Tournament with an 11-1 victory over Lynn University behind a huge game from Kay Brokering. Brokering stayed hot in the nightcap against Columbus State, but it wasn't enough as the Cougars handed King their first defeat of the season, 7-1.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 11, Lynn 1; Columbus State 7, King 1
LOCATION: Cougar Field; Columbus, Ga.
RECORDS: King 7-1; Lynn 9-14; Columbus State 12-6

SERIES HIGHLIGHTS

• Brokering led the offense, going 5-for-6 on the day with two doubles and two home runs. She drove in seven, all in game one, and scored five runs.
• Katelyn Davidson followed with three hits, including a double and drove in one.
• Casey Gilbert, Jenna Burnett and Kaycee Casteel all registered two hits with Gilbert scoring three runs.

HOW IT HAPPENED - LYNN

• King got off to a hot start as their first three batters reached base, taking a lead on a groundout.
• Davidson then gave King a 2-0 lead with a single down the left field line.
• Brokering struck for the first time, crushing a three-run home run to right field.
• In the third, King added another on a squeeze bunt from Katie McCann that scored Davidson.
• The Fighting Knights got on the board with an unearned run in the third, but the Tornado answered in the fourth.
• Brokering ripped her second home run of the game, a two-run shot give King an 8-1 lead.
• Brokering drove in two more in the fifth with a double and scored on a Burnett double, giving King the 11-1 victory.
• In the circle, Leslie Odom was masterful, allowing only one hit, coming in the third inning and one unearned run.

OF RECORD

Winning Pitcher: Leslie Odom (3-0) 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 SO
Losing Pitcher: Kayla Sheffield (5-6) 1.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 SO

FOR THE FOES

• Mia Veliz accounted for Lynn's lone hit while Britney Purser scored their lone run.

HOW IT HAPPENED COLUMBUS STATE

• The Tornado had one bad inning against Columbus State, and that was in the second inning.
• Elizabeth Perdue ripped a one-out home run to give the Cougars the lead.
• Back-to-back singles put two runners on before a Tornado miscue allowed another run to score and extended the inning after a strikeout.
• Following the strikeout, Hanna Rose Corbin ripped a three-run home run. Columbus State followed with two more home runs to take a 7-0 lead.
• King posted three hits in the fifth, started by a pair of single from McCann and Camryn Haag.
• However, a double play thwarted the threat as the Tornado left a pair of runners on base in the inning.
• Brokering tried to get the Tornado offense going with a leadoff single in the sixth and Burnett followed with double.
• McCann later drove in Brokering, but that was all the Tornado would score.
• The Tornado couldn't get the offense going in the seventh either as Columbus State took the contest 7-1.

OF RECORD

Winning Pitcher: Hannah Rose Corbin (4-2) 7.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO
Losing Pitcher: Emma Hughes (2-1) 1.2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

FOR THE FOES

• Corbin went 2-for-4 with three runs batted in and two runs scored.
• Madeline Parker also recorded a pair of hits, scoring one run.

UP NEXT

• King will be in action for the final day of the Columbus State Tournament on Sunday. The Tornado take on Bellarmine University at 9:00 a.m. and Barry University at 1:00 p.m.