Hickory, N.C. - The No. 16 Lenoir-Rhyne University Softball Team (35-5, 8-0) increased its winning streak to nine games and remained undefeated in South Atlantic Conference action with a doubleheader sweep of Mars Hill College (19-10, 2-6), 4-0 and 5-4, Tuesday afternoon at Bears Field.
Game One - Lenoir-Rhyne 4, Mars Hill 0
Sophomore Dawon Millwood (Hixson, Tenn.) improved to 15-2 on the season and picked up her third consecutive shutout after limiting Mars Hill to just two hits while striking out 10 batters en route to the win.? Millwood now has nine shutouts for the season.
The Bears opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning on a two-run single by senior outfielder Brittany Cherry (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) before junior third baseman Brandi Haithcock (Snow Camp, N.C.) connected on a two-run home run, her first of the year, in L-R's half of the sixth to make it a 4-0 final.
Mars Hill's Tara West (Urbana, Ohio) fell to 10-5 after suffering the loss.
Box Score
Game Two - Lenoir-Rhyne 5, Mars Hill 4
With the score tied at four, Cherry connected on the game-winning, run-scoring single in the bottom of the sixth inning to lift the Bears to the win.
Mars Hill jumped ahead 3-0 thanks to back-to-back home runs by Ashley Seawell (Asheboro, N.C.) and Natalie Haithcox (Asheboro, N.C.) in the first inning and Taylor Morris' (Weddington, N.C.) solo round-tripper in the second frame.
L-R forged a three-all tie in the bottom of the third inning on a three-run home run by senior designated player Ashley Duckworth (Conover, N.C.), her 15th of the season.
The teams traded runs with Cherry's run-scoring double in the fourth inning and Cammie Hauser's (Clemmons, N.C.) run on a wild pitch for Mars Hill in the sixth frame before Cherry's heroics in the bottom of the sixth.
L-R sophomore Lauren Harris (Yadkinville, N.C.) improved to 7-0 on the year after being credited with the victory while Mars Hill's Tiffany Farthing (Kure Beach, N.C.) suffered the loss and fell to 8-4.
Cherry finished with three hits and two runs batted in to lead the Bears, who improved to 12-0 at home in 2010.
Box Score
Lenoir-Rhyne hits the road for a league doubleheader showdown with Carson-Newman on Friday at 1 p.m., while Mars Hill returns home to take on Brevard in a doubleheader Friday at 1 p.m., as well.
