Salisbury, N.C. – Lenoir-Rhyne (34-8, 11-1) and Catawba (27-10, 11-1) remained tied for first place in the South Atlantic Conference standings with a doubleheader split Tuesday afternoon at Whitley Field.
The Bears won the first contest by a 1-0 score while the Indians prevailed in the nightcap, 3-2, to snap Lenoir-Rhyne's 15-game winning streak.
Game One – Lenoir-Rhyne 1,
Catawba 0
Lenoir-Rhyne senior Maryann Hoskins (Havelock, N.C.) threw a two-hit shutout in addition to 11 strikeouts to lead the Bears to the victory.
The Bears scored the lone run of the game in the top of the first inning when sophomore designated player Mackenzie Cates (Efland, N.C.) drove in sophomore shortstop Madison Carter (Bessemer City, N.C.) with an RBI single.
Catawba's Carley Tysinger (Lexington, N.C.) suffered the loss despite going the distance and allowing one unearned run with 10 strikeouts.
Box Score
Game Two – Catawba 3, Lenoir-Rhyne 2
The Indians scored all three of their runs in the second inning and held on to defeat the Bears to salvage the split. Catawba's Caroline Turner (Kenly, N.C.) highlighted the frame with the game-winning, two-run single.
Lenoir-Rhyne scored an unearned run in the second inning while junior catcher Sarah Kenley (Charlotte, N.C.) hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth in the losing effort.
Catawba's Tysinger (20-5), who hit an RBI double in the second inning, struck out nine in the complete game victory while Hoskins (11-5) suffered the loss.
Box Score
Lenoir-Rhyne remains on the road to take on Anderson in a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m., in Anderson, S.C. Catawba hosts Mars Hill in a league doubleheader on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.