HICKORY, N.C. --- Sophomore Taylor Billings led the Lees-McRae softball team to its first win on the season with a complete game performance while the team beat Mercyhurst, 4-2, before falling victim to a perfect game against Lenoir-Rhyne, 13-0, in five innings Sunday afternoon in Hickory, N.C.
LMC 4, Mercyhurst 2
Billings (Sophia, N.C.) struggled early on while loading the bases in the top of the first before recording an out.
The Lakers (1-3) took advantage when Kayla Larson ripped an RBI single up the middle, 1-0.
Billings regained her composure and calmly struck out the next two batters before getting Tawny Godin to groundout weakly to end the threat.
Freshman Kirsten Waters (Umatilla, Fla.) registered her first collegiate hit with a triple to right in the bottom of the third.
Sophomore Valerie Hickey (Umatilla, Fla.) connected on a RBI single three batters later to tie it at one.
Senior Amanda Decker (Apex, N.C.) reached on a field choice, plating Teresa Dickson (Lexington, N.C.).
LMC (1-4) took advantage of a fielding error and scored two more runs to complete the big inning while carrying a 4-1 lead into the fourth.
MU pitcher Annie Truelove helped her own cause with an RBI single up the middle in the fifth to cut the deficit to two, 4-2.
Billings (1-2) held the Lakers to one hit over the final two innings to seal the win. She struck out four while scattering six hits.
Lenoir-Rhyne 13, LMC 0 (5 Innings)
The Bears (6-0) remained perfect on the season thanks to a dominating performance from Maryann Hoskins.
Hoskins needed only 69 pitches, 49 strikes, to strike out 11 LMC (1-5) batters, on her way to perfection.
LR's Ashley Oliver blasted a three-run shot to dead center in the first and finished the game with five RBIs.
The Bears scored multiple runs in all but one inning while the Bobcats' Megan Paradise (Medina, Ohio) (0-2) suffered the loss.
LR's Brittany Coursen impressed with a three-RBI performance.
Coach Merritt Yackey's team travels to Brevard for a doubleheader at 1 & 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14 in Brevard, N.C.
- LMC -
