Hartsville, S.C.--The Lenoir-Rhyne Softball team opened SAC play today with a sweep of host Coker. In game one, the Bears saw
Lauren Rakes strike out a career high twelve Cobras to earn the win in the circle. In Game two, the Bears got a two-run home run from
Lora Beth Wood to help the Bears win 9-3.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Game 1 Final: #21 Lenoir-Rhyne 4, Coker 1
Game 2 Final: #21 Lenoir-Rhyne 9, Coker 3
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (6-2, 2-0 SAC), Coker (2-4, 0-2 SAC)
Location: Saleeby-Stokes Field I Hartsville, S.C.
STATS OF GAME ONE:
- Lauren Rakes got the Bears going with a two-run double in the top of the 1st to help her self out as Rakes started in the circle as well for the Bears.
- LR added a run in the third, when Kendall Osborne was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded then Rakes walked with the bases loaded in the 4th to gave the Bears the 4-0 lead.
- Coker's Jena Dewalt got the Cobra's first hit with a single to left in the bottom of the 5th off Rakes but she worked out of trouble to keep the Cobras off the scoreboard.
- Rakes had a career-high 12 strikeouts in her first complete game, giving up one run in the 7th inning.
- Savannah Moorefield went 4-for-4 with two runs scored. Moorefield and Kylee Leonhardt scored the four runs for the Bears.
STATS OF GAME TWO:
- LR scored three runs in the top of the first, highlighted by RBI singles by Talon LaClair and Osborne.
- After the Cobras scored a run in the bottom of the first, the Bears added two unearned runs in the top of the 2nd of the bat of Wood.
- In Wood's next at-bat, she drilled a two-run home run to left to extend the Bears lead to 7-1, which was the first colligate long ball for the sophomore.
- Rakes extended her hitting streak to eleven games with a two-run double in the 5th to give the Bears a 9-1 lead.
- LaClair went 4-4 on the game with four run scoreds.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- Before today's contests, Coker won the last meeting in 2019 by the score of 19-3. In the ten previous meetings, the Bears won nine while the Cobra scored only a total of 17 runs.
- This was the 4th career game of at least four hits for senior Moorefield in game one and LaClair third four hit game in game two.
- LaClair four run scored was the most since Moorefield scored four time on March 1 of last year.
- Twelve strikeouts is the most for a LR pitcher since Rakes struck out ten at Augusta 366 days ago.
- Leonahardt extended her hitting streak to seven games and now has hits in 21 of 25 games dating back to last year.
UP NEXT: LR will travel to play a three-game series with #5 Young Harris this weekend. Game one is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday.