Hickory, N.C.-The Lenoir-Rhyne Softball team dropped a pair of non-conference home games to visiting Belmont Abbey on Tuesday. LR lost 7-3 and then 4-1 in the twin bill as
Kylee Leonhardt hit her 38th career homerun in the nightcap.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Game 1 Final: Belmont Abbey 7, Lenoir-Rhyne 3
Game 2 Final: Belmont Abbey 4, Lenoir-Rhyne 1
Records: Belmont (11-11), Lenoir-Rhyne (16-10)
Location: Bears Field I Hickory, N.C.
STATS OF GAME ONE:
- LR got on the board first with solo runs in the first and second. In the first, Lora Beth Wood drove in Savannah Moorefield with a RBI single. The following inning, Moorefield drove in Cherise Cowoski who tripled the at-bat before.
- The Crusaders struck for a pair of three run innings after the Bears jumped out to a 2-0 lead. A three-run third and fifth gave Belmont Abbey a 6-2 lead.
- Crusaders Payton Whitley hit her fourth homerun of the season to extend their lead to 7-2 in the sixth.
- Bears scored an unearned run in the 7th but Belmont Abbey came away with the 7-3 win.
- McKayla Watts (2-4) took the loss in the circle for the Bears, giving up three runs in two innings of work.
- Moorefield finish the game 3-4 with a double, rbi and run scored.
STATS OF GAME TWO:
- A three run third inning for the second straight game for Belmont Abbey gave the Crusaders a 3-0 lead with a two-out, two-run single by Morgan Smith being the big hit in the inning.
- The Crusaders added on with an unearned run in the 5th to give them a 4-0 lead.
- Morgan Beeler (6-1) suffered her first loss of the year in the circle. Beeler went the complete game allowing four runs.
- Bears avoided the shutout with a Leonhardt homerun with two-outs in the bottom of the seventh.
- LR left ten runners on base including the bases loaded twice.
- Hannah Jennings went 2-3 on the afternoon for her 6th multi hit game in her last ten games.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- Moorefield's three-hit game in the first game was her 60th career multi-hit game.
- Cowoski's triple was her first of her career.
- This is the first time Belmont Abbey has swept the Bears in doubleheader.
- The Bears fall to 4-4 in non-conference matchups this year.
UP NEXT: Bears will travel to #7 Lincoln Memorial on Friday for a SAC Showdown