CLERMONT, Fla. --- Sophomore Sarah Stallings had a stellar day at the dish by going 7-for-8 in two games while the Lees-McRae softball team fell twice at The Spring Games Tuesday at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla.
St. Cloud State 7, Lees-McRae 4
Neither offense could muster much through the opening two stanzas while only two runners were left on base in the first 2 ½ innings.
The Huskies (10-7) used some timely hitting and three singles in the bottom of the third to put up a three-spot.
Alyssa Coletto notched an RBI with a sacrifice fly to left before Jessica Goerger made it 2-0 with a seeing-eye single to left.
SCSU plated its third run in auspicious fashion when Abby Bunnell scored on a fly ball double play. LMC's Valerie Hickey (Umatilla, Fla.) made a heads up play on a line drive and appeared to have doubled up Goerger at second to end the inning.
However, after a lengthy discussion by the umpires, it was declared Bunnell scored before the third out was made at second.
The Bobcats (3-14) chipped the deficit to two, 3-1, following a run-scoring single from senior Tori Wright (Boone, N.C.) in the top of the fifth.
Hickey used a bloop single to plate Stallings (Greensboro, N.C.) before a Sarah Tucker (Monroe, Ga.) single tied it at three.
Wright displayed great patience by drawing a bases loaded walk, giving LMC its first lead of the day, 4-3.
The Huskies took advantage of shaky Bobcat defense to score four runs in the sixth, with the big blow coming off the bat of Taylor Thomas; who delivered a two-run double.
Taylor Billings (Sophia, N.C.) (2-7) suffered the loss despite going the distance.
Southwest Minnesota St. 11, Lees-McRae 5
The Mustangs (8-4) had four innings where they scored multiple runs while Taylor Koloc paced the offense with four hits and four RBI.
Both teams struggled defensively by combining for eight errors.
The Bobcats (3-15) were unable to capitalize on a leadoff triple from Stallings in the first after Alex O'Connor retired three batters with runners on second and third.
SMSU used three doubles to score four runs in the fifth.
Stallings impressed with two infield hits while freshman Kara Travis (Conover, N.C.) drove in a run in the sixth.
LMC faces St. Xavier and California (Pa.) at 1 & 3 p.m., respectively, Wednesday, March 11 in Clermont, Fla.
- LMC -
