BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University softball team earned another Conference Carolinas sweep on Saturday, to finish the weekend 4-0. The Tornado took a pair of contests from North Greenville University, taking game one 10-4 before winning game two 5-3.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 10, North Greenville 4; King 5, North Greenville 3
LOCATION: King Softball Field; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 14-6, 7-3 Conference Carolinas; North Greenville 15-7, 3-3 Conference Carolinas
KING HIGHLIGHTS
- Samantha Helms led the Tornado offense, driving in five runs on two hits.
- Rikkelle Miller drove in a pair of three this while scoring twice.
- Erin Foster scored four runs on the day as she posted two hits.
GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS
- Nikole Counts worked out of a jam in the second inning, leaving the bases loaded.
- That momentum carried over to the bottom of the inning as Miller started the frame with a single and Meagan Puckett followed with a double.
- Helms then laced a single that scored both runners and gave King a 2-0 lead.
- Miller extended that lead when she drove in two with a triple in the third.
- She later scored on a Helms sacrifice fly, giving King a 5-0 advantage.
- North Greenville got on the board in the fifth with two runs, the second being unearned.
- The Tornado answered as Peyton Day ripped a triple that scored Azlee Sells in the bottom of the inning.
- Pinch hitter Lauren Earls cut the Crusader deficit in half when she drove in two with a single in the sixth, the Tornado led 6-4.
- King tacked on four insurance runs in the sixth inning, Helms highlighted the frame with a two-run double as the Tornado led 10-4.
- Marleigh Duncan made that stand up as she retired the side in order on eight pitches in the seventh inning, giving King the 10-4 victory.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Nikole Counts (8-2) 6.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO
Losing Pitcher: Callie Richards (4-2) 2.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS
- North Greenville jumped ahead early, scoring three runs in the first inning.
- The first two scored on a Brianna McRae double before she scored on a Jenna Hewes double to give the Crusaders a 3-0 lead.
- Foster drew a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the inning and later scored on a Miller triple, cutting the King deficit to 3-1.
- King took a 4-3 lead with three runs on no hits in the second inning.
- Three walks and a hit by pitch drove in the first run before Turner evened the score with a sacrifice fly that scored Foster.
- There was a throwing error on the play, allowing Haylee Dye to score and put the Tornado ahead.
- King tacked on another run in the fourth as Dye started the inning with a single.
- She later scored on a fielding error, stretching the King lead to 5-3.
- The Crusaders loaded the bases in the fifth with one out, but Duncan entered the circle for the Tornado.
- She got a pair of Crusader hitters to groundout and end the threat, keeping the Tornado ahead.
- Duncan then worked out of a jam in the fifth, stranding two runners before stranding another runner in the seventh.
- She earned her first career save, giving King the 5-3 victory.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Carly Turner (4-3) 4.1 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO
Save: Marleigh Duncan (1) 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO
Losing Pitcher: Jaelin Griffin (8-2) 1.0 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 3 SO
FOR THE FOES
- Taylor Koon led the Crusader offense, going 6-for-8 on the day with a double and two runs scored.
- McRae drove in three on two hits, both doubles.
- Brooklyn Stone posted three hits on the day.
UP NEXT
- King travels to UVA Wise on Tuesday. First pitch from Wise, Va., is slated for 1:00 p.m.
- North Greenville travels to Lees-McRae College on Sunday afternoon.
