HICKORY, N.C. – Head Coach
Shena Hollar won her 800th game at Lenoir-Rhyne as the Bears swept King on Wednesday afternoon. Hollar entered the season 10th among active coaches in coaches in career wins and winning percentage and is 23rd in Division II history in most career coaching victories. Hollar, who spent two seasons at Newberry before coming to Hickory, celebrated her 800th career victory last season and now owns 846 career victories in her 22-year career.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Finals: Lenoir-Rhyne 5, King 1; Lenoir-Rhyne 9, King 1
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (14-7), King (9-8)
Location: Bears Field | Hickory, N.C.
STATS OF GAME ONE:
• Game one would be the historic victory for Hollar who entered with 799 career wins as a Bear and
Brandi Parks made sure she didn't have to wait longer for number 800. The senior starter allowed just three hits in a complete game and struck out six batters to earn her ninth win of the season.
•
Erin Boone blasted a solo homer to right center in the bottom of the first to give the Bears an early lead but King would even the score in the top of the second. LR responded with a 2-spot in the bottom half of the inning on a pair of infield singles by
Macie Gibson and
Cassie Healy.
• The Bears would add two more in the fifth inning to seal the victory.
• Eight different players recorded a hit in the victory, led by a pair from first basemen
Mackensi Swain.
• Leslie Odom was charged with the loss for King as LR had six hits and scored three runs in just two innings against the righty.
STATS OF GAME TWO:
• Parks got the nod again in game two and continued to baffle King batters. Parks threw five innings and allowed just one run to get her second win of the afternoon.
• LR exploded for eight runs in the fourth and fifth innings to grab a win via the mercy rule. Healy started the scoring with an RBI double in the fourth and
Savannah Moorefield drove in a run with a sac fly.
• The Bears wouldn't be denied in the fifth inning, scoring six times on five hits while King only recorded one out. After retiring the leadoff hitter, seven straight LR batters reached base safely. Osborne drove in a run with an RBI base hit and
Macie Gibson drove in a run with a single. With the bases loaded, Moorefield drove in two with an RBI double and just missed a grand slam.
Kylee Leonhardt would end the game with a 2-RBI base hit.
• Lenoir-Rhyne pounded out 12 hits and Moorefield finished 3-for-3 with four runs batted in. Osborne, Gibson and Healy were outstanding in the bottom of the order as the 7-8-9 hitters combined to go 6-for-6 with six runs scored and three RBIs.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
• The main story of the day was Hollar who entered the season with a career winning percentage of .721 and never had a season at LR with a winning percentage below .600. She has led the Bears to 12 regular season SAC titles and she has earned seven South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year awards. Prior to her arrival, LR had never won a SAC regular season championship.
• Lenoir-Rhyne is now 7-3 in home games on the season.
• The Bears were swept by a late-charging King team on the last weekend of the regular season. King would go on to win the Conference Carolinas Tournament and make some noise in the NCAA Tournament.
UP NEXT:
LR continues its homestand with a doubleheader against Bloomsburg on Saturday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
