April 13, 2008

No. 12 Lenoir-Rhyne Softball Sweeps North Carolina Central, 16-1 And 9-0, On Senior Day

Senior Taylor Queen hits two home runs to lead L-R

Hickory, N.C. – The No. 12 Lenoir-Rhyne College Softball Team (39-10) swept North Carolina Central University (3-38) by scores of 16-1 and 9-0 Sunday afternoon at Bears Field. The doubleheader was Senior Day for Lenoir-Rhyne as it honored its six senior players before the first pitch.

With Carson-Newman’s sweep of Newberry this afternoon, the Bears split the 2008 South Atlantic Conference Regular Season Title with the Lady Eagles. The Bears have now won 12-straight games, its longest winning streak since they reeled off 18 victories in the 2006 season.

Game One – Lenoir-Rhyne 16, North Carolina Central 1 (five innings)
After giving up a run in the top of the first, Lenoir-Rhyne scored seven runs in the bottom half of the frame to take control of the contest. The inning was highlighted by senior catcher Karie Pushard’s (Harrisburg, N.C./Central Cabarrus HS) three-run home run and sophomore right fielder Brittany Cherry’s (Myrtle Beach, S.C./Carolina Forest HS) three-run double.

The Bears put the contest well out of reach in the second inning when they added six more runs to make the score 13-1. Senior centerfielder Taylor Queen (Conover, N.C./St. Stephens HS) hit a two-run home run and senior third baseman Michelle Smith (Rockingham, N.C./Louisburg CC) hit a grand slam.

Lenoir-Rhyne added three more runs in the third, making the final score 16-1.

Senior Meredith O’Connor (Charlotte, N.C./Appalachian State Univ.) (28-7) went the distance in the win, allowing only four hits and striking out eight, while Kristen Schooler (Mitchellville, Md.) fell to 2-20 with the loss.

Box Score

Game Two – Lenoir-Rhyne 9, North Carolina Central 0 (five innings)
Lenoir-Rhyne jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first frame on a RBI double by junior second baseman Noel Belk (Charlotte, N.C./Queens Univ.). Belk scored on redshirt freshman shortstop Kat Rivers’ (Royston, Ga./Franklin County HS) sacrifice fly to right field. Finally, senior first baseman Leah Krohn (Taylorsville, N.C./Alexander Central HS) and sophomore third baseman Lauren Johnson (Chesterfield, Va./Manchester HS) hit back-to-back RBI doubles to cap the scoring for the inning.

The Bears tagged on three runs in the second inning and two more in the third. Queen hit her second home run of the day in the second, a two-run shot, while Belk hit two more RBI doubles in each of the innings. Belk finished the game three-for-three with four runs batted in.

Freshman Morgan Vickers (Randleman, N.C./Randleman HS) (3-1) picked up the win for Lenoir-Rhyne, scattering three hits and four strikeouts over five innings of work. Ashley Henderson (Santa Clara, Calif.) suffered the loss for the Lady Eagles.

Box Score

Lenoir-Rhyne will conclude regular season play when it travels to Limestone in Gaffney, S.C., Tuesday to face the Lady Saints in a 3:00 p.m., doubleheader.