Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University softball team came away with a split against #17 Lenoir-Rhyne University on Thursday afternoon. The Bears took game one 9-5 before the Tornado offense came alive in the second contest with a 4-1 victory.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: #17 Lenoir-Rhyne 9, King 5; King 4, #17 Lenoir Rhyne 1
LOCATION: King Softball Field; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 8-12; #17 Lenoir-Rhyne 18-4
SERIES HIGHLIGHTS
- Bailey Deason led the Tornado offense, going 4-for-6 on the day with a two-run home run, two runs batted in and two runs scored.
- Danielle Parks, Erin Foster, Meagan Puckett, and Azlee Sells all posted two hits on the day.
- Parks drove in three runs, while Sells, Haylee Dye, and Chelsea Sams drove in one.
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME ONE
- Mackensi Swain gave the Bears a 2-0 lead with a two-run double to center in the first inning.
- Lenoir-Rhyne continued to score runs in the first inning, stretching their lead to 4-0 after a sacrifice fly to right field and an unearned run.
- King got on the board in the bottom of the first inning, as Deason ripped a ball over the left-field fence for a two-run home run that cut the Tornado deficit to 4-2.
- Lauren Rakes added another run for the Bears in the third inning with a double down the left field line, scoring Swain.
- Lenoir-Rhyne extended their lead to 7-2 in the fifth inning after a Rakes sacrifice fly and a Leanna Sherrill single to center field that drove in another run for the Bears.
- Parks drove in one for the Tornado in the fifth, followed by a walk and a wild pitch that scored two runs for King, cutting the Tornado deficit to 7-5.
- However, Talon LaClair ripped a two-run home run over the right center field fence, giving the Bears a 9-5 victory.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Lauren Rakes (8-3) 4.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 2 SO
Losing Pitcher: Casey Gilbert (4-4) 5.0 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO
Save: Morgan Beeler (2) 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME TWO
- The nightcap was a pitcher's duel between Emma Hughes and Beeler, as they kept the opponent scoreless until the fifth inning.
- Following a two-out single the first inning, Hughes retired 11 straight Bears until a Rakes one-out double in the fifth inning.
- Hannah Jennings singled to left field to score Rakes, giving the Bears a 1-0 lead.
- However, King answered in the bottom of the sixth as Sams evened the tally with a fly to center field that scored Gilbert.
- Parks followed with a two-out, two-run single to give King the 3-1 lead and Dye made it a 4-1 Tornado advantage with a single up the middle that scored Parks.
- Hughes allowed one hit in the seventh inning, but the senior and got a pair of pop outs to give King the 4-1.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Emma Hughes (4-3) 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
Losing Pitcher: Morgan Beeler (7-1) 6.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO
FOR THE FOES
- Talon LaClair posted four hits on the day with a two-run home run, three runs scored, and two runs batted in to lead the Bears offense.
- Savannah Moorefield and Swain both went 2-for-3 and Rakes went 1-for-3 with three runs batted in.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Tornado have had the Bears' number when they are ranked, going 4-2 over the last four years against a ranked Bear squad.
UP NEXT
- King hosts Shepherd University in a doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
- Lenoir-Rhyne faces Queens University in a doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon.
