BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University softball team opened Conference Carolinas play with a sweep of rival Lees-McRae College.
Carly Turner hit a home run in game one to give King the lead as they took the contest 3-1. In the nightcap, King scored seven runs in the fifth inning to take the 8-0 victory.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 3, Lees-McRae 1; King 8, Lees-McRae 0
LOCATION: King Softball Field; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 5-3, 2-0 Conference Carolinas; Lees-McRae 3-11, 0-2 Conference Carolinas
KING HIGHLIGHTS
- Turner posted three hits on the day in drove in two with a home run.
- Erin Foster also posted three hits on the day, scoring twice.
- Azlee Sells ripped her first home run of the season, coming in game two.
GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS
- King manufactured a run in the opening inning as Samantha Helms scored on a defensive miscue from the Bobcats.
- It looked like that might be all the Tornado would need as Nikole Counts retired the first 10 Bobcat batters she faced.
- Lees-McRae got their first hit, and infield single in the fourth. The later plated a run on a Tornado defensive miscue to even the score at 1-1.
- Foster started the fifth inning with an infield single and later scored as Turner ripped a home run off the scoreboard in left center to give King the lead.
- That was all Counts need as she retired the side in order in the sixth before King turned a double play in the seventh to take the 3-1 win.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Nikole Counts (3-1) 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
Losing Pitcher: Charlsy Traylor (0-5) 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO
GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS
- Turner got off to a hot start in the circle in game two with a pair of strikeouts and foul out in the first inning.
- King grabbed the lead in the third inning as Foster started the inning with a double and advanced to third on an error.
- She then scored on a wild pitch.
- Turner struck out the first two batters of the fourth inning, the first on 12-pitch at bat that she came back from a 3-0 count.
- However, the Bobcats loaded the bases with a pair of walks and a hit.
- Nevertheless, Turner struck out the next batter on three pitches to escape the jam.
- King took the lead and ultimately ended the game in the fifth inning.
- Chelsea Sams started the inning with an infield single and Sells followed with a home run to put the Tornado ahead.
- Kylee Wolfe drove in one with a single before Meagan Puckett and Sams ended the 8-0 Tornado win with consecutive run scoring singles.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Carly Turner (2-2) 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 7 SO
Losing Pitcher: Raygan Rensing (3-4) 4.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
FOR THE FOES
- Julie Gas led Lees-McRae with two hits and scored their lone run.
UP NEXT
- King stays at home to take on West Virginia State University at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.
- Lees-McRae hosts UVA Wise on Sunday afternoon.
