Wingate, N.C.----The Lenoir-Rhyne University Bears swept a South Atlantic Conference softball doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at Wingate University. Lenoir-Rhyne won the first game 4-1, while rallying for a 9-8 victory in game two to move to 23-7 overall and 2-0 in the SAC. The Bulldogs fall to 16-8 overall and 1-3 in the conference.
Game One: Lenoir-Rhyne 4, Wingate 1Sydney Landreth was one-for-two with an RBI to lead the LRU attack in game one.
Madison Carter added a hit and two runs scored, while
Christina Walker contributed two hits and a run scored for the Bears.
Junior infielder
Misty Doran (Century, Fla.) was one-for-three with an RBI to lead the Wingate offense in game one. Junior outfielder
Olivia Smith (Chesapeake, Va.) added a hit and a run scored for the Bulldogs.
Wingate got on the board in the bottom of the first, starting with a Smith one-out single. She moved to second on a groundout, then scored on Doran's RBI single.
LRU tied it in the second when Carter started the frame with a double, then scored on a wild pitch.
The Bears took the lead with three runs in the third. A single and walk put the first two runners on base, while a Wingate error allowed the first run to score. Landreth added an RBI single, while another error on the play allowed a third run in the inning to score, making it 4-1.
Emily Kenley got the win, moving to 4-2. She allowed a run on four hits in seven innings of work, striking out seven and walking one. Senior right-hander
Stacey Houser (Mooresville, N.C.) took the loss, falling to 9-5. She allowed one earned run on nine hits in seven innings of work, striking out eight and walking three.
Game Two: Lenoir-Rhyne 9, Wingate 8Erin Boone had three RBI and a run scored to lead the Lenoir-Rhyne offense in game two, while
Madison Carter added a homer and two RBI for the Bears. Landreth went three-for-three with two runs scored while
Sarah Kenley and
Cassie Healy each contributed an RBI and a run scored.
Senior catcher
Taylor Laskey (Cherryville, N.C.) had two homers and six RBI to lead the Wingate attack. Freshman
Naomi Sapp (Guyton, Ga.) added two hits and an RBI, while senior
Mellena Helms (Concord, N.C.) went two-for-four with three runs scored.
An RBI groundout from Carter in the top of the first gave the Bears a 1-0 lead, while an error on the play made it 2-0.
Wingate responded with three runs in the bottom of the frame. A walk and an error put two on base for Laskey, who blasted her sixth homer of the year over the wall in left, a three-run shot to make it 3-2.
The Bulldogs scored three more runs in the second. Laskey's RBI single plated the first run, while a wild pitch allowed the second run to score. Sapp followed with an RBI single to give the 'Dogs a 6-2 lead.
Lenoir-Rhyne scored four times in the fifth to tie it. Healy's RBI single plated the first run, while a three-run double from Boone made it 6-6.
The Bears scored two more in the sixth to take the lead. Kenley drew a bases-loaded walk to give LRU a 7-6 lead, while another Wingate error allowed the second run of the frame to score, giving Lenoir-Rhyne a two-run lead.
The Bulldogs tied it with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Helms started the frame with an infield single. Laskey tied it with her second homer of the day and seventh of the year, a two-run shot to center to make it 8-8.
Lenoir-Rhyne regained the lead in the top of the seventh when Carter connected on a two-out, solo homer down the left field line, making it 9-8.
Kenley picked up her second win of the day and fifth of the year, tossing 1 1/3 shutout innings, allowing one hit while striking out one. Houser took the loss, allowing a run on a hit in 1 2/3 innings, striking out one.
Wingate is back in action Friday, traveling to Mars Hill for a doubleheader at 1 p.m.
