Wingate, N.C. - The top-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne Softball Team (45-6) defeated eighth-seeded Catawba (29-23), 3-1, Thursday afternoon in the Quarterfinal Round of the 2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament.? L-R, ranked No. 7 in NCAA Division II, increased its winning streak to eight in the process.

Lenoir-Rhyne faces fourth-seeded Mars Hill (27-14) in the semifinal round on Friday at 11:30 a.m.? Mars Hill defeated Wingate (33-14), the No. 5 seed, by a 5-3 score in the first round.

Catawba broke a scoreless tie with an unearned run on a RBI single by Allie Marshall (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) in the top of the fourth inning.

Lenoir-Rhyne responded in the bottom of the fifth inning when freshman outfielder Megan Laxton (Taylorsville, N.C.) hit a three-run home run, her fifth of the year, to provide all the offense the Bears would need en route to the win.

L-R freshman Alex Smith (Cocoa, Fla.) picked up the win and improved to 19-3 on the year after allowing just three hits on one unearned run while striking out six batters.? Smith has now won eight games in a row.

Catawba's Chelsea Claypole (Versailles, Mo.) fell to 1-9 on the year after suffering the loss.