April 7, 2008

No. 25 Lenoir-Rhyne Softball Sweeps Tusculum, 13-3 And 4-0

Bears improve to 33-10 on the season and 8-2 in the South Atlantic Conference

Greeneville, Tenn. – The No. 25 Lenoir-Rhyne College Softball Team (33-10, 8-2) swept Tusculum College (13-22, 2-11), 13-3 and 4-0, Monday afternoon in a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader at Red Edmonds Field in Greeneville, Tenn.

L-R senior Meredith O’Connor (Charlotte, N.C./Appalachian State Univ.) won both games for the Bears as she totaled 18 strikeouts for the day and improved to 23-7 on the season.

Game One – Lenoir-Rhyne 13, Tusculum 3
Senior first baseman Leah Krohn (Taylorsville, N.C./Alexander Central HS) went four-for-five with three runs batted in to lead Lenoir-Rhyne’s 17-hit attack in the game one victory.

After spotting Tusculum a 1-0 lead, L-R took the lead for good with two runs in the top of the fourth inning which included an RBI double from sophomore third baseman Lauren Johnson (Chesterfield, Va./Manchester HS).

Krohn’s two-run triple highlighted a three-run fifth inning and redshirt freshman shortstop Kat Rivers (Royston, Ga./Franklin County HS) connected on a two-run single in the sixth inning as the Bears plated three more runs to push the lead to 8-1 and the rout was on.

Lenoir-Rhyne rounded out the scoring with five runs in the seventh inning.

Tusculum’s Megan DuBois (Chino, Calif.) fell to 5-6 with the loss.

Box Score

Game Two – Lenoir-Rhyne 4, Tusculum 0
O’Connor pitched her sixth shutout of the year as she scattered six hits to go along with nine strikeouts to lead the Bears to the sweep.

Lenoir-Rhyne opened the scoring in the first inning when junior second baseman Noel Belk (Charlotte, N.C./Queens Univ.) crossed home plate on a wild pitch.

Krohn hit her team-leading seventh home run of the season, a solo shot, in the fourth inning to make it 3-0 before scoring an unearned run in the sixth frame for the four-run final.

Lenoir-Rhyne senior centerfielder Taylor Queen (Conover, N.C./St. Stephens HS) led the Bears with a two-for-two performance and finished with four hits on the day.

The Pioneers’ Ashley Whitehead (Morristown, Tenn.) suffered the loss and fell to 2-8 on the year.

Box Score

L-R, the top-ranked team in the South Atlantic Region, returns home to face Mars Hill in a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader on Wednesday beginning at 3:00 p.m.