BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University softball team swept Bluefield State in a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday. The Tornado combined for 41 runs in both games and Carly Turner pitched the first perfect game in program history.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 18, Bluefield State 3; King 23, Bluefield State 0
LOCATION: King Baseball Field; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 10-6; Bluefield State 0-6
SERIES HIGHLIGHTS
- Rikkelle Miller paced the Tornado with five hits over the course of the day. Her performance six runs batted in while also posting four runs herself.
- On top of her perfect game, Turner drove in five runs and scored six times.
- Chelsea Sams and Logan Scott both batted in four runs and scored twice.
- Tinsley Thompson and Meagan Puckett combined for eight hits and four runs, each tallying four hits and a pair of runs.
GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS
- King got off to a hot start, scoring six runs in the bottom of the first.
- Puckett doubled to left center to bring in Samantha Helms for the first run of the day.
- Puckett then scored to make it 2-0 after a sacrifice fly from Sams.
- Thompson drove in a pair of runs after a single through the middle.
- Heaven Cales was caught stealing second in the top of inning number two, allowing Hannah Fisher to scoot home for Bluefield State's first run of the day.
- The Tornado matched their first inning with six more runs in the second, sparked by a pair of doubles from Turner and Miller.
- King chalked up a trio of runs via back-to-back home runs from Miller and Sams to extend the lead to 15-1 in the bottom of the third.
- Scott, Miller and Becca Gold reeled off three consecutive hits to spark a three-run fourth inning for the Tornado and give them an 18-1 lead, their largest advantage of the game.
- Two unearned runs from the Big Blue in the top of the fifth put the final score line at 18-3 for game one.
- Nikole Counts pitched the complete game, tallying eight punchouts an no earned runs.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Nikole Counts (6-2) 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO
Losing Pitcher: Madison Thompson (0-3) 3.0 IP, 13 H, 15 R, 13 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO
GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS
- Turner retired the side to start game two, picking up three strikeouts on 13 pitches.
- The junior pitcher also scored the first run of the game off a hit from Sams, giving King a lead that they never surrendered.
- King posted 13 runs in the bottom of the second on 12 hits as they batted through the rotation twice, giving the Tornado a 14-0 advantage after two innings.
- Turner picked up three more strikeouts to start off the third inning, this time only firing 11 pitches.
- Thompson circled the pillows to start the bottom half of the third as she tripled to center field and then scored on a Bluefield State throwing error.
- A Haylee Dye two-run bomb extended the lead to 17-0 which gave the third baseman her second and third run batted in for the game.
- King added five more runs in the bottom of the fourth as Gold singled to center field to drive home Marleigh Duncan.
- Scott picked up a trio of runs batted in as she slapped a bases-clearing double down the left field line.
- Scott then touched the plate for the final run of the day as Lilly Million drove her in to put the advantage to 23-0.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Carly Turner (3-3) 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 SO
Losing Pitcher: Kennedy James (0-1) 2.1 IP, 18 H, 18 R, 12 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO
FOR THE FOES
- Hannah Fisher posted one hit on the day, driving in one run and scoring once herself.
- Jessie Foster and Lisette Rosales tallied one hit and one run in game one.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Turner's efforts led to first perfect game in school history.
- It was the first no-hitter since Emma Hughes accomplished the feat on February 25, 2019 against Milligan College.
UP NEXT
- King remains home for a Conference Carolinas doubleheader on Friday as they are set to host Southern Wesleyan University. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
- Bluefield State travels to Carson-Newman University on Friday.
