Greeneville, Tenn.- The Lenoir-Rhyne Softball Team has now won 19 of their last 20 games including eight straight as the Bears swept Tusculum on Friday. In game one, Lauren Rakes threw a complete game in the circle to pick up her 11th win of the year while adding a two-run double at the plate. In game two, Savannah Moorefield reached base for the 27th straight game with her first homerun of the season and Morgan Beeler (8-4) retired the last eleven batters she faced to come away with a 5-2 win. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Game 1 Final:  Lenoir-Rhyne 3, Tusculum 2
Game 2 Final:  Lenoir-Rhyne 5, Tusculum 2
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (21-6, 6-0 SAC), (Tusculum 13-12, 0-4 SAC)
Location: J.C. Red Edmonds Field I Greeneville, Tenn.

STATS OF GAME ONE:

• After a scoreless first three innings, the Bears broke through in the 4th. Lora Beth Wood worked a bases loaded walk then Rakes helped her self out with a two-run double off the fence to give the Bears the 3-0 lead. 
• Pioneers scored two runs on a sac fly from Hayley Lazo. On the 15th pitch of the at-bat, Lazo drove it to deep left center and Moorefield caught it but Makayla Bush tagged from third and Mya Maddux tagged from second and came all the way around to score as well to cut the lead to 3-2. 
• Rakes (11-1) threw a 133 pitch complete game while throwing 103 strikes. Rakes allowed just five hits (two runs) while striking out eight on the afternoon. 
• Hannah Jennings and Cassidy Wall had two hits apiece. The duo each had their ninth multi-hit game. 

STATS OF GAME TWO:

• With two out and no one on in the first, Wall and Julia Mardigian singled then Kylee Leonhardt doubled them home with a shot of the centerfield fence to give the Bears an early 2-0 lead. 
• Tusculum got two rbi doubles in the bottom of the second to tie it at two apiece.
• Bears had first and third with no one out in the third but the Pioneers Ireland Cavanaugh got herself out of the jam without giving up a run.
• Moorefield picked a good time for her first homerun of the season, with a two-run shot in the 4th to give the Bears a 4-2 lead. 
• Mardigian added an RBI double in the 6th to give the Bears a 5-2 lead. 
• Beeler moves to 8-4 with a complete game as the junior retired the last eleven Pioneers on the afternoon. 
• 2-3-4 in the lineup (Jennings, Wall, Mardigian) went 7-13 with three doubles on the afternoon. 
• Bears left 12 men on base in the contest. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• This is the Bears first trip to Greeneville to play Tusculum since March 18, 2018, Bears did travel to Greeneville to play in the SAC Conference Tournament last year through. 
• Rakes entered today first in the nation with 143 strikeouts, 17 ahead of Winona St.'s Liz Pautz. 
• Tusculum's Emily Sappington pitched a ten inning no-hitter last year against the Bears in a 1-0 win but the Bears defeated her in the second game that day and Sappington took the loss in game one today. 
• Moorefield has now reach base in all 27 games this season.
• Moorefield's homerun was her 15th career homerun
• Wall extended her hit streak to ten games with a five hit day. 
• Bears move to 18-2 when scoring first this season
• This is the first time since 2018, the Bears have had two eight game winning streaks in the same season. In 2018, The Bears had two 16 game winning streaks and won 32 of 33 games on way to the SAC regular season championship. 

UP NEXT:  Bears will travel to Charlotte to face Queens on Tuesday. First pitch is at 1:00 P.M.