DUNCAN, S.C. – The top seeded King University softball team used a pair of home runs in the sixth inning and a timely double play to advance to Sunday's Conference Carolinas Softball Championship title game.
Rikkelle Miller and
Haylee Dye hit home runs on consecutive pitches in the sixth inning to give King the lead and the Tornado turned a double play to defeat sixth seeded Emmauel College 3-2.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: No. 1 King 3, No. 6 Emmanuel 2
LOCATION: Tyger River Park; Duncan, S.C.
RECORDS: King 40-15; Emmanuel 37-21
TIME OF GAME: 1:33
KING HIGHLIGHTS
- Dye and Miller hit home runs while Tinsley Thompson drove in the first run for the Tornado.
- Carly Turner posted two hits, including a double for the Tornado.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The contest was a pitchers' duel early on as each team posted a hit in the first inning, but that was it.
- The first 12 outs for Nikole Counts in the circle were by ground ball before the Lions popped out for the first out of the fifth inning.
- Turner singled in the first inning, and doubled to start the fourth, but King wasn't able to string hits together against Maddie Edwards as Turner was left on second.
- Emmanuel had two runners on in the fifth with one out, but Counts induced a pair of groundballs to get out of the jam.
- Camryn Haag singled with one out in the bottom of the fifth before moving to second on a wild pitch.
- Thompson then came up with a two-out single to left field, scoring Haag to give King the lead.
- The Lions loaded the bases two outs in the sixth inning as a batter reached first on a wild pitch following a strikeout.
- Ally Harris then singled down the right field line scoring two, but King got the third out at third base to end the inning.
- Miller then laced a home run to left field on the eighth pitch of her at bat to even the score at two.
- On the very next pitch, Dye crushed a home run over the center field fence, giving King the 3-2 lead.
- Emmanuel loaded the bases in the seventh inning with one out when Haag caught a line drive at her shoe tops.
- The then threw to first to complete the double play and give King the 3-2 victory.
FOR THE FOES
- Harris posted two hits and drove in two runs.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Nikole Counts (18-7) 6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO
Losing Pitcher: Maddie Edwards (14-9) 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
Save: Marleigh Duncan (6) 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- King has extended their school-record winning streak to 14 games.
- Haag had nine assists in the contest, matching a program record set by Cassie Ringstaff in 2012.
UP NEXT
- King will face fifth seed Francis Marion University on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. in the championship. The Patriots will need to defeat the Tornado twice, while King just needs one win to take their third tournament crown.
- King defeated Francis Marion 4-3 on Friday afternoon.
