Box Score 1 | Box Score 2  

Hickory, N.C.----The Lenoir-Rhyne University Bears rallied for a pair of victories Wednesday afternoon, sweeping a doubleheader over visiting Wingate University in South Atlantic Conference softball action. Lenoir-Rhyne won the first game 4-3, while taking game two 6-5 in eight innings. LRU improves to 18-5 overall and 4-0 in the SAC. The Bulldog fall to 15-12-1 on the season and 1-3 in the conference. 

Game One: Lenoir-Rhyne 4, Wingate 3

Katie Carpenter was two-for-three with an RBI to lead the LRU attack in game one. Lauren Elder also drove in a run, while Chelsey Long and Haily Jarman each went two-for-four with a run scored. 

Senior first baseman Brittany Loudermilt (Stony Point, N.C.) had a homer to lead the Wingate offense. Freshman pitcher Stacey Houser (Mooresville, N.C.) was one-for-two while also drawing a walk. Sophomore shortstop Alexis Burrell (Chesapeake, Va.) went one-for-three with a run scored for the Bulldogs. 

The Bears got on the board in the first, scoring a pair of unearned runs. An error and two singles loaded the bases with one out. Elder plated the first run with an RBI single, while an RBI single from Carpenter made it 2-0. 

Wingate got on the board in the fourth when Loudermilt connected on a solo homer to left to cut the lead in half. The Bulldogs scored two more runs in the seventh to take the lead. Burrell led off the inning with a single, then went to third on an error. She scored when junior infielder Hayley Whitley (Monroe, N.C.) reached on an error. A single from Houser sent Whitley to third, while a walk loaded the bases with no outs. Wingate took a 3-2 lead when Whitley scored on a passed ball. 

Jody Mizelle led off the bottom of the inning with a single, then went to second on a groundout. Jarman added an infield single, sending Mizelle to third, while a walk loaded the bases. Elder would follow by reaching on a fielder’s choice, with a pair of runs scoring on a Wingate throwing error to end the game. 

Maryann Hopkins got the win, tossing a scoreless inning in relief to improve to 7-2. Houser took the loss, falling to 10-5. She allowed four unearned runs on 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings of work, striking out seven. 

Game Two: Lenoir-Rhyne 6, Wingate 5 (8 innings)

Jarman had a homer and two RBI to lead the LRU attack in game two. Jessica Fellmeth was one-for-two with an RBI and a run scored, while Brittany Coursen also went one-for-two with an RBI and a run scored for the Bears. 

Burrell had a homer and two RBI to lead the Wingate offense. Whitley went two-for-four with a double, RBI and two runs scored, while Loudermilt was two-for-three with a run scored.

An RBI single from Fellmeth gave the Bears a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Wingate tied it in the second on an RBI single from Owens. The Bulldogs plated three runs in the fourth to take a 4-1 lead. Burrell got it started by connecting on her eighth homer of the year, a two-run shot to left. Whitley followed with a single, then would eventually score on an RBI groundout from senior outfielder Kasey Pendley (Marion, N.C.) to give the ‘Dogs a three-run lead. 

Whitley’s RBI double to right center in the fifth gave Wingate a 5-1 advantage. LRU made it a three-run game in the fifth, getting a bases-loaded walk from Coursen and an RBI single from Cockerham to make it 5-3. Jarman connected on a two-run homer in the sixth to tie the game at five. 

Wingate was unable to score in its half of the eighth. Coursen was placed on second in the bottom of the eighth via International Tiebreaker rule. She went to third on a sacrifice, then scored the game-winner on Megan Laxton’s RBI single just inside the third base bag. 

Brandi Hole got the win, improving to 10-3. She allowed a run on five hits in four innings of work, striking out two. Houser took the loss, falling to 10-6. She allowed five earned runs on eight hits in 7 1/3 innings of work, striking out four while walking six. 

Wingate returns to action Saturday, hosting a doubleheader against Carson-Newman at 1 p.m.