HobbsDailyReport.com
HARTSVILLE, S.C. – For the second straight day, Lenoir-Rhyne University won a South Atlantic Conference (SAC) women’s softball tournament game via a walk-off home run.
The second-seeded Bears nipped No. 3 Newberry, S.C., 3-2 when Mackenzie Cates homered leading off the seventh inning.
LRU (46-9), ranked No. 13 in NCAA Division II, advances to play No. 1 Carson-Newman (41-11) in the winner’s bracket on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The Eagles advanced Friday with an 11-3 victory over Coker.
Carson-Newman and LRU shared the SAC regular season title after splitting a doubleheader in Hickory last Sunday.
Sophomore Brandi Parks got the pitching win Friday for the Bears, improving to 21-2 after coming on in relief. She allowed an unearned run and struck out three in seven innings.
Dakota Keller had a two-run home run for LRU.
Christina Linton scored both of the Wolves’ runs and Devon Morrison dropped to 19-6 after pitching a complete game for Newberry.
Newberry 2 (32-15) Lenoir-Rhyne 3 (46-9)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
Linton rf……………… 1 2 1 0 Erin Boone cf………….. 3 0 0 0
Herrera pr……………. 0 0 0 0 Christina Walker rf…….. 2 0 0 0
Willis 2b……………… 4 0 2 0 Sarah Kenley c…………. 3 0 0 0
Drawe ss………………. 3 0 0 0 Sydney Landreth 1b……… 1 0 0 0
Simonds dp…………….. 4 0 1 0 Ashten Hinkle pr………. 0 0 0 0
Henderson pr………….. 0 0 0 0 Madison Poe 2b…………. 2 0 1 0
Marion c………………. 3 0 0 0 Madison Carter ss………. 3 0 1 0
Dills 1b………………. 3 0 0 0 Mackenzie Cates 3b……… 3 1 1 1
Caldwell lf……………. 1 0 0 0 Mackensi Swain dp………. 1 1 0 0
Peyton ph…………….. 1 0 0 0 Dakota Keller lf……….. 2 1 1 2
Sweeney cf…………….. 2 0 0 0 Sydney Miller p………… 0 0 0 0
Van Atta 3b……………. 3 0 0 0 Brandi Parks p………… 0 0 0 0
Morrison p…………….. 0 0 0 0
Totals…………….. 25 2 4 0 Totals………………… 20 3 4 3
Score by Innings R H E
Newberry 100 010 0 – 2 4 0
LRU 002 000 1 – 3 4 2
E – M. Poe; D. Keller. DP – NBY 2. LOB – NBY 8; LR 4. 2B – Willis(12); Simonds(11).HR – M. Cates(8); D. Keller(8). HBP – Drawe; M. Swain. SH – Sweeney.
Newberry IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO
Morrison L,19-6……….. 6.0 4 3 3 4 1 0 0 1 0 20 25 9 6
LRU IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO
Sydney Miller ………… 0.0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0
Brandi Parks W,21-2. 7.0 3 1 0 3 3 0 0 1 0 24 29 7 11
HBP – by B. Parks (Drawe); by Morrison (M. Swain). Strikeouts – Willis; Sweeney; Van Atta; M. Carter. Walks – Linton 3; Caldwell; C. Walker; S. Landreth 2; M. Poe.
S. Miller faced 2 batters in the 1st.
Morrison faced 1 batter in the 7th.
- Reported by LRU Sports Information