HICKORY, N.C. - After holding off the Wolves in game one 5-4, the Lenoir-Rhyne Softball team hit five home runs in the night cap to sweep the visiting Newberry Wolves on senior day.
Kaylan Brown,
Madison Primm,
Faith Carrigan all hit home runs while
Lani Warren went deep twice, including a three-run home run to end game two 13-3 via mercy rule.
The sweep keeps the Bears one game ahead of Anderson and Carson-Newman with two games remaining in the battle for the SAC Regular Season title. The Bears will need one win against Carson-Newman on Saturday to gain at least get a share of the SAC title. A sweep will guarantee the Bears the SAC title and the #1 seed in the SAC Tournament starting on May 1st.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Game One Final: #18 Lenoir-Rhyne 5, Newberry 4
Game Two Final: #18 Lenoir-Rhyne 13, Newberry 3 (5 Inns.)
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (33-11, 17-3 SAC), Newberry (16-24, 7-13 SAC)
Location: Hickory, N.C. | McCrorie Family Stadium
STORY OF GAME ONE:
- Leading of the bottom of the 1st, Autumn Joyce connected on a 3-2 pitch to deliver her 8th home run of the season.
- LR took a 2-0 lead just two batters later after a Madison Primm double and a Lani Warren single.
- Bears took advantage of two Wolves errors to stretch the lead to 4-0 after two.
- The Wolves got two runs right back thanks to two Bears miscues in the field in the third inning.
- LR added a huge insurance run in the 4th with an RBI single from Adriana Lamantia.
- Newberry cut the Bears lead to 5-4 after a two run home run from Avery Ingram in the 5th.
- Madison Wilson stranded the game tying run at third to end the game and picked up her 16th win in the circle.
- Wilson only allowed two earned runs in the complete game.
- WIlson also joined Lamantia and Alexandria Gray with two hits in the game.
STORY OF GAME TWO:
- Newberry scored two runs in the first inning.
- Lenoir-Rhyne scored once in the first and four times in the second, fourth, and fifth.
- Lani Warren and Madison Primm finished this game 7-for-8 at the plate and the duo each had 5 RBIs.
- Bears pounded 16 hits in just four innings as five Bears at least two hits.
- Faith Carrigan picked up win number 15 in the circle with the complete game, allowing three runs.
- Primm, Kaylan Brown, Carrigan and Warren all went deep for the Bears in this one.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- Bears have won 14 in a row against Newberry in Hickory.
- Madison Wilson moved pass Morgan Beeler in the career wins leader board with 54 career victories, putting her in a tie for eighth all-time.
- There was seven combined errors in the first game.
- Faith Carrigan is now at 299 career strikeouts in the circle.
- Lani Warren's first home run today was also her 200th career hit and her 100th career run.
UP NEXT: Lenoir-Rhyne will head to Lees-McRae on Monday afternoon for a non-conference battle. The Bobcats are 10-31 on the season after a split with North Greenville today to snap their ten game losing streak. First-pitch is scheduled for 2:00 PM from Banner Elk.
