Hickory, N.C. - The 11th-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne University Softball Team (4-2) swept a doubleheader from Augusta State University (3-2), 7-6 and 5-4, in the team's?2011 home opener Tuesday afternoon at Bears Field.
Game One - Lenoir-Rhyne 7, Augusta State 6
The Bears broke a one-all tie in the bottom of the third inning with three runs highlighted by freshman shortstop Jody Mizelle's (Colerain, N.C.) one-out solo home run.? Sophomore designated player Megan Laxton (Taylorsville, N.C.) added a two-run single in the frame.
L-R led 5-1 before Augusta State reeled off four straight runs which included a two-run single by Kacee Camp (Harlem, Ga.) in the fifth and Renae Kimbell's (Kennewick, Ga.) sixth-inning solo home run to tie the contest at five.
Lenoir-Rhyne, however, would take the lead for good with a two runs in its half of the sixth for a 7-5 advantage.? Junior second baseman Carlee Carpenter (Newton, N.C.) tallied an RBI double in the inning that proved to be the game-winner.
Freshman Julia Wakefield (Hickory, N.C.) (1-0) was credited with the win while Laxton registered the final two outs in recording the save.
Mizelle finished with two hits and three runs scored in addition to her first career home run as a Bear.
Camp led Augusta State with three hits and three runs batted in while Emily Headrick (Rocky Face, Ga.) fell to 1-1 after suffering the loss.
Game Box
Game Two - Lenoir-Rhyne 5, Augusta State 4
With the score tied at four in the bottom of the seventh with two outs, Carpenter came through with the game-winning RBI single as the Bears rallied from a 4-1 deficit to earn the sweep.
Kristen Jones (Kennewick, Ga.) helped the Jaquars jumped out to the 4-1 advantage with a two-run double in the second inning and an RBI groundout in the fourth frame.
Freshman third baseman Haily Jarman (Wadesboro, N.C.) began L-R's rally with a solo home run, her first round-tripper as a Bear, in the bottom of the fourth inning.
L-R then tied the score with two more runs in the fifth inning on a two-run single by junior catcher Sarah Atkins (Newport News, Va.) before Carpenter's heroics ended the contest in the last inning.
Atkins (three runs batted in) led the Bears offensively while junior Lauren Harris (Yadkinville, N.C.) improved to 1-1 after picking up the win.
For Augusta State, Jones drove in three runs and Heather Hughes (Havana, Fla.) fell to 1-1 after being tagged with the loss.
Box Score
Lenoir-Rhyne hits the road on Thursday to take on Pfeiffer in a doubleheader in Misenheimer, N.C., beginning at 2 p.m.
