HARROGATE, Tenn. – The King University softball team bounced back to take a split at 11th-ranked Lincoln Memorial University on Wednesday afternoon.
Carly Turner ripped a pair of three-run home runs to power the Tornado to a 13-5 game-two victory. The Railplitters won game one 8-3.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: #11 Lincoln Memorial 8, King 3; King 13, #11 Lincoln Memorial 5
LOCATION: Dorothy Neely Field; Harrogate, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 6-4, Lincoln Memorial 11-3
KING HIGHLIGHTS
- Turner paced the Tornado offense, driving in six on two home runs. She had four hits on the day and scored twice.
- Haylee Dye laced a pair of doubles, drive in four and scored twice while accounting for five hits.
- Rikkelle Miller drove in a pair, ripping her first home run of the season. She also scored twice while accounting for three hits.
- Tinsley Thompson also posted four hits on the day.
GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS
- The Railsplitters took an early 4-0 lead, with three runs in the first and another in the seconds.
- King got their first run of the game in the top of the fourth, when Miller hit her second home run of the season, a solo shot to straightaway center field, cutting the lead to 4-1.
- The Tornado cut their deficit to 4-2 as Dye ripped a single that scored pinch-runner Tori Ryan.
- The Railsplitters responded with a run of their own in the fifth and three runs in the sixth to take an 8-2 lead.
- King scratched a run across in the seventh when Porter led off with a single to right field, advancing to second on a passed ball. She scored on a Dye double into left field.
- However, that was all King was unable to score, falling 8-3
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Emma Frost (6-1) 7.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 SO
Losing Pitcher: Nikole Counts (2-2) 6.0 IP, 13 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO
GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS
- Lincoln Memorial took an early lead thanks to a first inning run following a one-out walk and two-out double, but King responded in the second inning.
- Lauren Lawson started the inning with a single up the middle and came around to score on a Maggie Deel double to left field, evening the tally at one.
- The Railsplitters added a pair of runs in the third inning on a leadoff home run and two-out run-scoring double to take a 3-1 lead.
- The Tornado responded with six runs in the fourth inning to take a 7-5 lead.
- The inning started with Thompson hitting an infield single before Deel singled to put a pair of runners on for Peyton Day.
- Day singled up the middle to score Thompson before a passed ball allowed the tying run to score on a Foster walk.
- Dye and Miller then ripped back-to-back run-scoring doubles before a Helms infield single scored Miller and gave King the 7-5 advantage.
- Turner then powered the Tornado offense over the final three innings.
- She started with a three-run home run in the fifth that scored Day and Dye who previously singled in the inning.
- Turner struck again in the seventh with another three-run home run. This time Foster and Dye scored, giving King a 13-5 lead.
- Marleigh Duncan, who entered in the fourth inning, then closed the game with a pair of strikeouts in the seventh inning, giving King the 13-5 victory.
OF RECORD
- Winning Pitcher: Marleigh Duncan (3-2) 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 SO
- Losing Pitcher: Delilah Malczewski (4-1) 3.2 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO
FOR THE FOES
- Katie Tuggle led Lincoln Memorial with five hits o the day while Sierra Hucklebee drove in a pair with three hits, including two doubles.
- McKenzie Henry drove in three on three hits and scored twice.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Duncan set a career-high with 10 strikeouts. Her previous best was seven in the season-opener against UVA Wise.
- The win over a ranked team for the Tornado was the first since March 5, 2020 when they defeated 17th-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne University at home.
- It's the first road win over a ranked team since February 15, 2018 when King won at 20th-ranked Carson-Newman University.
UP NEXT
- King returns home to take on Emory & Henry College and Queens University on Friday and Saturday. The Tornado take on Emory & Henry at 11:00 a.m. on Friday before squaring off with Queens at 3:00 p.m.
- Lincoln Memorial travels to take on Emmanuel College and Lander University on Friday at Lander University.
