HobbsDailyReport.com
HICKORY – Lenoir-Rhyne University’s softball season ended earlier than it had hoped in the NCAA Division II playoffs for the sixth straight time on Saturday.
After working its way through the consolation bracket and beating seventh-seeded Young Harris 6-3 on Saturday to get within a victory of advancing out of the Southeast Regional, second-seeded LRU fell 9-3 to Young Harris at Bears Field and was eliminated.
Young Harris (35-16), which beat LRU 9-4 on the opening day of the regional, moves on to play No. 1 seed North Georgia (59-2) next week in a Southeast Super Regional best-of-3 series at North Georgia that begins on Thursday.
North Georgia advanced on Saturday, winning at home in the other half of the Southeast Regional, 9-1 over No. 8 seed King.
LRU finished 45-10 and ranked No. 11 in the country, but the Bears have not reached a Super Regional since back-to-back bids in 2010 and 2011 under head coach Shea Hollar.
The only Bears team not to qualify for a regional tournament since 2006 was in 2015, and LRU has now been eliminated in that round in its last six bids (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018).
LEONHARDT
LRU 6, Young Harris 3
The Bears rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning, capped by a walk-off, three-run home run from freshman first baseman Kylee Leonhardt to force another game.
Junior Emily Kenley improved to 24-4 after throwing the complete game victory.
Haylie Shope hit a solo home run for the Mountain Lions while Dharma Rosbrugh fell to 21-11 after taking a loss.
Young Harris 9, LRU 3
Winning four games over two days proved to be a bit too much for LRU.
Young Harris rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win.
Shope hit the game-winning double in the fourth inning while Jill Torres added a three-run home for the Mountain Lions. Rosbrugh (22-11) was credited with a win.
Leonhardt hit another home run and finished with two RBIs for the Bears.
Kenley (24-5) suffered a loss as the Bears dropped to 25-2. They were playing host to the Southeast Regional for the first time since 2013 when they won their first two games before falling against Georgia College and Anderson, S.C., to be eliminated.
NCAA DIVISION II SOFTBALL SOUTHEAST REGIONALS
At LRU
Thursday’s results
Game 1: No. 6 Carson-Newman 2, No. 3 Georgia College 1
Game 2: No. 7 Young Harris 9, No. 2 LENOIR-RHYNE 4
Friday’s results
Game 3: No. 7 Young Harris 7, No. 6 Carson-Newman 1
Game 4: No. 2 LENOIR-RHYNE 10, No. 3 Georgia College 2, 6 inn.
Game 5: No. 2 LENOIR-RHYNE 17, No. 6 Carson-Newman 0
Saturday’s results
Game 6: No. 2 LENOIR-RHYNE 6, No. 7 Young Harris 3
Game 7, championship: No. 7 Young Harris 9, No. 2 LENOIR-RHYNE 3
At North Georgia
Thursday’s results
Game 1: No. 4 Coker 2, No. 5 Queens 0
Game 2: No. 1 N. Georgia 5, No. 8 King 2
Friday’s results
Game 3: No. 1 N. Georgia 6, No. 4 Coker 0
Game 4: No. 8 King 4, No. 5 Queens 2, 10 inn.
Game 5: No. 8 King 2, No. 4 Coker 0
Saturday’s games
Game 6: No. 1 N. Georgia 9, No. 8 King 1
SOUTHEAST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
(Thursday-Friday)
No. 7 Young Harris (35-19) at No. 1 N. Georgia (59-2)