DUNCAN, S.C. – The top seeded King University softball team held off elimination twice on Sunday, defeating second seed Lees-McRae College and fifth seed Barton College. The Tornado used three home runs to defeat Lees-McRae 7-3 before holding on to top Barton 9-6.
THE BASICS – LEES-McRAE
FINAL SCORE: No. 1 King 7, No. 2 Lees-McRae 3
LOCATION: Tyger River Park; Duncan, S.C.
RECORDS: King 34-21; Lees-McRae 32-18
TIME OF GAME: 1:52
KING HIGHLIGHTS – LEES-McRAE
HOW IT HAPPENED – LEES-McRAE
- Following singles from Jessica Campbell and Dye to start the first inning, Lawson laced a home run to put the Tornado on top.
- Carly Turner then doubled before Thompson laced a home run to right center to give King a 5-0 lead.
- Lees-McRae took advantage of a Tornado error in the third to score on run.
- In the fourth, Dye ripped a two-run home run, stretching the King lead to 7-1.
- The Bobcats added two in the top of the fifth to pull within 7-3.
- In the seventh, Lees-McRae loaded the bases with no outs following a pair of singles and hit batter.
- However, Savana Luper struck out the next three batters to give King the 7-3 win.
FOR THE FOES
- Megan Powell led Lees-McRae with two hits and drove in two.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Madison Walter (14-5) 5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO
Losing Pitcher: Megan Powell (18-8) 0.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO
THE BASICS - BARTON
FINAL SCORE: No. 1 King , No. 5 Barton
LOCATION: Tyger River Park; Duncan, S.C.
RECORDS: King 35-21; Barton 27-22
TIME OF GAME: 2:20
KING HIGHLIGHTS – BARTON
- Campbell went 2-for-2 with two walks, a home run, three runs scored and three runs batted in.
- Deel posted two hits and drove in a pair.
HOW IT HAPPENED – BARTON
- Barton manufactured a run in the first following a leadoff walk and a stolen base before a single scored the run.
- King loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning before Samantha Helms worked a 10-pitch walk to even the score.
- Baillie Murray was then hit by a pitch to give the Tornado the lead.
- Deel made it a 4-1 lead with a two-run single to right field.
- Following a walk from Murray and single from Deel, Campbell laced a home run to extend the King lead to 7-1 in the fourth.
- Barton took advantage of Tornado defensive miscues in the fourth, but the Tornado turned a double play with the bases loaded to end the inning.
- In the fifth, the King defense cut down a run at the plate to keep the Tornado ahead 7-2.
- Campbell started a two-out rally in the fifth with a double before Dye followed with a double to score Campbell.
- Lawson then drove in Dye with a single to give King a 9-2 lead.
- Barton rallied in the seventh scoring one on an Emily Bell single before Gracelyn Massey plated a pair to pull the Bulldogs within 9-5.
- The Bulldogs then loaded the bases before the Tornado got an out on a groundball and the final out on the play on an interference call, giving King the 9-6 victory.
FOR THE FOES
- Sloane Correa went 3-for-4 while Lindsey Massengill and Massey posted two hits each.
- Massey also drove in two runs.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Savana Luper (13-5) 6.1 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 1 SO
Losing Pitcher: AnnaKate Gilchrist (5-5) 0.2 IP, 0 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 0 SO
Save: Madison Walter (4) 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO
UP NEXT
- King advances to the Conference Carolinas championship game on Monday. The Tornado will have to defeat third seed Francis Marion University twice.
- The first game is scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m.
