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Box Score 2 BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University softball team returned to Conference Carolinas play on Saturday when they hosted North Greenville University. The Tornado took a 2-1 walk-off win in what was a pitcher's duel in the opening game of the day before King took the sweep with a 7-2 victory in the nightcap.
Morgan Lowe got off to an auspicious start, walking the first two batters of the game, but she quickly calmed down. The junior got a strikeout before inducing a flyout and groundout with runners on second and third to keep the game scoreless. Lowe then settled in, retiring 11 straight batters, including the final two outs of the first inning. The Crusaders recorded their first hit of the contest in the fifth inning, and registered their second on the next pitch. Nevertheless, Lowe induced a double play to get out of the inning.
The Tornado (13-21, 7-5 CC) registered their first hit of the contest in the third inning, a Stephanie Rodriguez infield single, but she was thrown out trying to steal second. King grabbed the lead in the fifth inning when Diamond Callwood started a rally when she was hit by a pitch. After moving to second on a groundout, Tori McComas laced a two-out single to left center that brought Callwood home, giving King a 1-0 lead.
However, North Greenville (17-18, 7-10 CC) responded in the sixth inning. The Crusaders got back-to-back walks to start the frame before Lowe got a strikeout for the first out of the inning. The Damascus, Va., native then induced a groundout and it looked like she would get out of the inning, but Morgan Roach ripped a single that scored a run and knotted the score at 1-1. Lowe then got the final out of the inning, and score remained the same until the bottom of the seventh inning.
Amber Palmer started the seventh with single down the right field line, and Tori McComas tried to sacrifice her to second. After getting down 0-2, McComas worked a nine pitch walk to put two runners on. Kelsie Craighead moved the runners up with a ground out to third base before Rodriguez came up with the game-winning hit. On a 3-2 count, the senior lace a line drive than grazed the first basemen's glove and fell down the right field line, giving King the 2-1 victory.
Rodriguez went 2-for-4 from the leadoff spot and drove in one run to lead the King offense. The bottom third of the Tornado offense accounted for three of their six hits, and drove in one run. Lowe allowed the one run on three hits while striking out four in the complete game victory.
In the nightcap, Lauren Smith stranded a pair of Crusader runners in the top of the second before King struck first in the bottom of the inning. Hannah Smith stared the inning with a double and Amber Walker followed with a walk to put two runners on. Palmer then worked a walk to load the bases before the Crusader brought in a new pitcher with a 3-0 count on McComas. The new pitcher threw a pair of strikes before hitting the senior which forced a run in, giving King a 1-0 lead. However, the Tornado left the bases loaded in the inning.
The Tornado added another run when Hannah Smith ripped a double that scored Chrissy Melcher who walked earlier in the inning. Palmer and McComas started a three-run fourth inning with back-to-back doubles that scored one. Amanda Sports later drew a bases loaded walk to drive one in, and Hannah Smith ripped a sacrifice fly that scored Craighead and gave King a 5-0 lead.
North Greenville got on the board in the sixth inning when Roach doubled to start the inning. After two outs, a walk put two runners on and Tori Freedman drove them both in with a double, cutting their deficit to 5-2. However, Lowe entered the game and got the final out of the inning on two pitches.
King added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth, and Lowe got a double play to end the game and earn her first save of the season. Lauren Smith earned the win, tossing five and two-thirds innings, allowing two runs on six hits.
Offensively, Palmer went 2-for-3 with two doubles while Hannah Smith went 2-for-3 with two runs batted in. McComas also drove two in and scored once.
