Hartsville, S.C. – The Lenoir-Rhyne Softball Team (45-9), ranked No. 13 in NCAA Division II, won a thrilling 5-4 contest over Tusculum (27-24) in the opening round of the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Championship Thursday afternoon at Byerly Park.

Lenoir-Rhyne senior catcher Sarah Kenley (Charlotte, N.C.), the league player of the year, hit a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs to help the Bears advance in the tournament.  The Bears forced extra innings after scoring a run on an illegal pitch with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

Lenoir-Rhyne, the second seed in the tournament, will take on third-seeded Newberry (32-14) on Friday at 10:00 a.m., while seventh-seeded Tusculum will face the number six seed, Wingate (25-24), on Friday beginning at 10:00 a.m., as well.  The Wolves bested the Bulldogs in eight innings by a 3-2 score in their opening round contest.

Lenoir-Rhyne junior second baseman Madison Poe (Siler City, N.C.) had a two-run single while freshman pitcher Sydney Miller (East Bend, N.C.) improved to 14-5 with the victory.

The Pioneers rallied from a 3-0 deficit with a four-run sixth inning highlighted by a two-run single from Erica Hester (Kings Mountain, N.C.) but Taylor Plemons (Knoxville, Tenn.) fell to 12-13 after taking the setback.