BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University softball came away with a split against rival Lees-McRae College on Tuesday afternoon. The Bobcats used one big inning to take game one 8-5 before the Tornado bounced back to take game two 4-2 behind a complete game from
Madison Walter.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Lees-McRae 8, King 5; King 4, Lees-McRae 2
LOCATION: King Softball Field; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 27-20, 12-6 Conference Carolinas; Lees-McRae 27-20, 14-6 Conference Carolinas
KING HIGHLIGHTS
GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS
- Savana Luper retired the first six batters she faced before a leadoff walk in the third.
- That walk came around to score on a two-out bunt single to give Lees-McRae a 1-0 lead.
- Campbell started the game with a walk, but the Bobcats turned a double play to end the first inning.
- Thompson then started the Tornado half of the second inning with a double, but was left on third.
- King loaded the bases in the fourth, but couldn't push a run across as the Bobcats held the 1-0 lead.
- Lees-McRae broke the game open with seven runs in the fifth, capped by a three-run home run from Lauren Ritchie, giving the Bobcats an 8-0 lead.
- Baillie Murray started the bottom of the fifth with a walk and later scored on a Campbell triple.
- Dry drove in Campbell before scoring later in the inning on an error to pull King within 8-5.
- The Tornado put together another rally in the seventh as Thompson drove in Campbell with a single and Dye scored on a groundout.
- However, the Bobcats got out of the inning to take the contest 8-5.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Megan Powell (13-5) 6.0 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 4 SO
Losing Pitcher: Savana Luper (11-4) 4.1 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO
Save: Jada Wilson (1) 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO
GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS
- Both teams went down in order in the first inning before the Bobcats threatened with a pair of runners in the second.
- However, Walter got out of the jam.
- Walter again stranded a pair of Bobcats in the third before the King offense got going.
- Camryn Haag worked a one-out walk and later scored on a two-out single from Lauren Lawson to give King a 1-0 lead.
- Walter worked out of another jam in the fourth, leaving a pair of runners as the offense added a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning.
- Dye rolled a two-out single up the middle that scored Haag and Bradlie Warner to give King a 3-0 lead.
- After Walter stranded two more Bobcats in the fifth, Erin Foster reached on an error to start a Tornado rally in the bottom of the inning.
- She later scored on a Maggie Deel two-out single, extending the King advantage to 4-0.
- Lees-McRae hit a pair of home runs in the sixth inning to pull within 4-2, but Walter responded to retire the side in order in the seventh, giving King the 4-2 win.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Madison Walter (9-5) 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO
Losing Pitcher: Jada Wilson (12-7) 4.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO
FOR THE FOES
- Ritchie drove in four with two home runs on the day.
- Jordyn Scott added a home run for the Bobcats while Emma Jackson and Megan Powell drove in two apiece.
UP NEXT
- King is scheduled to take on UNC Pembroke on Friday at 2:30 p.m.
- Lees-McRae hosts the University of Mount Olive on Friday afternoon.
