HICKORY, N.C. – It was a tale of two games as the Lenoir-Rhyne Softball Team swept Catawba at Bears Field on Tuesday afternoon. The Bears earned the win in a pitcher's duel in game one and then slugged their way to a victory in the finale.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Finals: Lenoir-Rhyne 1, Catawba 0; Lenoir-Rhyne 14, Catawba 5
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (18-10, 3-2 SAC), Catawba (16-13, 4-4 SAC)
Location: Bears Field | Hickory, N.C.
STATS OF GAME ONE:
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Brandi Parks baffled the Catawba lineup as she tossed seven scoreless innings with only three hits allowed. Parks struck out six and never allowed a runner past second base in her gem.
• Despite just three hits for the Bears, LR had multiple opportunities to bust the game open. LR hitters drew nine walks in seven innings but left the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth.
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Savannah Moorefield led off the seventh inning with a four-pitch walk and moved to second as
Erin Boone bunted for a base hit.
Talon LaClair smoked a single, loading the bases with none out.
Kylee Leonhardt hit a ball down the third base line that was nabbed by Catawba's 3B who touched the bag but her throw home was not in time as Moorefield crossed the plate with the winning run.
• Each of the top three hitters recorded a hit for LR and Moorefield drew a pair of walks.
STATS OF GAME TWO:
• The LR offense erupted in game two, scoring 14 runs on 12 hits and taking advantage of a trio of Catawba errors. The Bears scored once in the first, five in the second, six in the third and two more in the fourth to mercy rule the visitors.
• Moorefield scored four times out of the leadoff spot and
Leanna Sherrill crushed her second home run of the season. Sherrill would drive in five runs and LaClair plated three.
Mackensi Swain drove in three more despite not recording a hit in the contest and Boone went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
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Macie Gibson and
Cassie Healy each went 2-for-3 with two runs scored out of the eight and nine spots in the Bears lineup.
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Emily Kenley earned the win in the circle, going five innings and striking out a pair.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
• On the day, Boone recorded three hits and two runs scored and moves closer to breaking each of those all-time records. Boone's 266 hits are just three shy of the program mark and her 196 runs are six away from breaking the team record.
• Coming into today, the two teams had each won 14 head-to-head matchups dating back to the 2009 season.
UP NEXT:
LR hosts a pair against Augusta on Thursday with the first pitch set for 2 p.m.
