BELMONT, N.C. --- Lindsey Huntsinger
(Asheville, N.C.) went 3-for-5 from the plate with a home run and
three walks to pace the Lees-McRae College softball team to a split
with Belmont Abbey College on Saturday in Conference Carolinas
play.
Belmont Abbey (11-19, 5-5 CC) battled back from a 5-0 deficit in
game two to earn a walk-off victory after Lees-McRae (17-20, 5-3
CC) took the opener by a score of 4-1. The Crusaders earned the
walk-off win on an RBI single to left field by Chelsea Elmore
(Belmont, N.C.), which drove in Brooke Baliles (Belmont, N.C.) to
earn the 6-5 victory in eight innings.
Paige Coleman (Thomasville, N.C.) and Karli Robb (Hayes, Va.)
also homered for the Bobcats, while Lori Fulmer (Prosperity, S.C.)
put together a 3-for-3 day at the dish with an RBI. Kim Coley
(Marion, N.C.) and Kierstie Moon (Oxford, Ga.) each added a 4-for-8
effort on the day as well for Lees-McRae.
Game One: Lees-McRae 4, Belmont Abbey 1 (Box Score)
The Bobcats grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the first inning when
Moon singled to left to lead off the contest, which was followed by
a two-run blast to right center from Robb. The Crusaders responded
in the bottom of the second, cutting the Bobcat advantage to 2-1
when Carol-Anne Sherrill (Huntersville, N.C.) scored on a throwing
error.
Lees-McRae added two insurance runs in the top half of the fifth
inning to extend the margin to 4-1. Magen West (Whitney, Texas)
laced a pinch-hit single to left, driving in Huntsinger from
third. Fulmer followed suit with a single down the left field line
to drive in Coley and equal the final tally of 4-1.
Laurel Gregg (Mars Hill, N.C.) pitched a six inning gem to
improve to 8-11 on the season. Gregg gave up one unearned run on
three hits while recording five strikeouts to pace the Bobcats.
Bryce Campbell (Amherst, Va.) tallied her fifth save on the season,
retiring the side in the seventh inning to close out the
contest.
Game Two: Belmont Abbey 6, Lees-McRae 5 - 8 innings (Box Score)
The second contest opened in similar fashion to the first, with
Moon singling to left field to reach base before moving to second
on a sacrifice bunt by Robb. Huntsinger followed, belting the ball
over the left field fence for her tenth home run of the season to
give the Bobcats the 2-0 advantage. The Bobcats added a third run
in the top of the second when Fulmer scored on a Moon two-out
single.
In the top of the third inning, Coley opened the frame with a
double down the right field line. Following a lineout, Coley moved
to third on a ground out by Campbell and scored on a single to
right field by Jessica Smith (Gastonia, N.C.) to extend the lead to
4-0. Coleman added the fifth run in the top of the fifth inning
with her sixth round-tripper of the season to give the Bobcats a
5-0 advantage.
The Crusaders rallied in the bottom of the inning to cut the
Bobcat lead to 5-2. Sami Michaelis (Woodville, Ohio) scored the
first, reaching on a single and stealing second. Emily Peek
(Asheville, N.C.) reached via base-on-balls to put runners on first
and second with no outs; Michaelis then moved to third on a wild
pitch. Elmore then drove in MIchaelis on a grounder to short that
retired Peek at second, before Sherrill followed with a double to
right field to score Elmore for the second run of the inning.
The Crusaders added their third run in the bottom of the sixth
to cut the Lees-McRae lead to 5-3 before tying the contest with two
runs in the bottom of the seventh, sending the contest into extra
frames. Belmont Abbey then took advantage of the tie-break rule in
the home half of the eighth inning to earn the walk-off
victory.
The Bobcats return to the diamond on Sunday, hosting a
doubleheader with Coker College in Conference play. Action gets
under way at 2 p.m. on Bobcat Field in Banner Elk.
-LMC-
