HobbsDailyReport.com
GULF SHORES, Ala. – Lenoir-Rhyne University’s softball season opened on Friday with the Bears winning once and losing once in the Gulf Coast Invitational.
West Alabama beat LRU 6-2 in a season-opening game before the Bears defeated Lee 3-2 in eight innings to go 1-1 for the day.
LRU is scheduled to play Shorter on Saturday at 12:15 p.m. and face North Georgia at 4:45 p.m.
Friday’s highlights:
West Alabama 6, LRU 2
The Lions’ Audrey Diekmann doubled twice and drove in two runs to lead West Alabama, which also scored twice off two errors by the Bears.
LRU scored twice in the bottom of the seventh inning to avoid a shutout.
Junior outfielder Erin Boone and senior second baseman Madison Poe each drove in a run for the Bears and junior Emily Kenley was tagged with the loss.
West Alabama’s Andrea Edmonds pitched four scoreless innings and struck out four.
LRU 3, Lee 2 (eight innings)
The Bears, ranked No. 25 in NCAA Division II, scored single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to prevail over the 11th-ranked Flames.
LRU junior second baseman Cassie Healy drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh inning with two outs to force extra innings before freshman outfielder Savannah Moorefield delivered the game-winning RBI single in the top of the eighth.
Moorefield had two hits while junior Brandi Parks went the distance and struck out 11 for the win.
Lee’s Shonna Penney took the loss, and Stevie Baird drove in both runs for the Flames.
- Reported by LRU Sports Information