Brevard, N.C. - The 10th-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne University Softball Team (37-8, 16-2) won the 2011 South Atlantic Conference Regular Season Championship with a doubleheader sweep of Brevard College (28-19, 6-12), 6-0 and 6-4, Sunday afternoon at the Brevard Softball Field.
The league crown was the Bears' seventh in school history.? L-R also won the conference regular season title in 2000, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010 and increased its winning streak against SAC foes on the road to 20.
Game One - Lenoir-Rhyne 6, Brevard 0
Junior pitcher Dawon Millwood (Hixson, Tenn.) threw a two-hit shutout to lead Lenoir-Rhyne to the win.? Millwood also struck out six batters and improved to 21-4 on the year.?
The Bears took control early with three runs in the top of the first inning highlighted by RBI doubles from junior second baseman Carlee Carpenter (Newton, N.C.) and senior shortstop Kat Rivers (Royston, Ga.).
L-R pushed the lead to 5-0 on RBI singles in the third by Carpenter and sophomore first baseman Jessica Fellmeth (Waxhaw, N.C.) before rounding out the scoring with a single run in the top of the sixth.
Freshman outfielder Jody Mizelle (Colerain, N.C.) finished with a game-high three hits while Carpenter and Fellmeth added two hits and two runs batted in each for the Bears in the win.
Brevard's Martika Elmore (Fayetteville, N.C.) fell to 16-10 after suffering the loss.
Box Score
Game Two - Lenoir-Rhyne 6, Brevard 4
The Bears jumped out to a 5-0 lead midway through the fourth inning and were able hold on for the victory and complete the sweep of the Tornados.
L-R scored twice in the both of the second and third innings with senior outfielder Brandi Haithcock (Snow Camp, N.C.) driving in a run in each frame.?
The Bears led 5-0 before the Tornados' Kayla Clemens (Sebring, Fla.) hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth to cut the margin to two.
The two squads traded runs to make it a 6-4 final.
Haithcock and Mizelle led Lenoir-Rhyne offensively with two hits and two runs batted in each while L-R sophomore Megan Laxton (Taylorsville, N.C.) improved to 4-1 with the victory.
Millwood pitched a scoreless seventh inning for her second save of the year for L-R while Brevard's Alyssa Miller (Davie, Fla.) fell to 12-9 with the loss.
Box Score
Lenoir-Rhyne has wrapped up the top seed in the 2011 Food Lion SAC Softball Tournament which begins Wednesday in Jefferson City, Tenn., on the campus of Carson-Newman College.? L-R faces eighth-seeded Lincoln Memorial in the opening round beginning at 4:30 p.m.
