BANNER ELK, N.C. --- Freshman Teresa Dickson hit her second homerun of the year, but the Lees-McRae softball team dropped a pair of one-run decisions to North Greenville in Conference Carolinas play Saturday afternoon at LMC Softball Field in Banner Elk, N.C.
North Greenville 9, Lees-McRae 8
The Crusaders (18-18, 8-10 CC) saw a trio of players collected three hits each while Christene Phillips (3-3) worked three perfect innings in relief to garner the victory.
The Bobcats (6-37, 1-14) enjoyed a multi-hit game from speedster Sarah Stallings (Greensboro, N.C.). The sophomore extended her hitting streak to eight games.
LMC grabbed a 2-0 lead after Kara Travis (Conover, N.C.) led off the bottom of the second with a walk. Dickson (Lexington, N.C.) delivered a two-run blast two batters later.
NGU quickly responded with six runs in the top of the third, powered by four hits, including consecutive doubles from Megan Johnson and Jordan Farmer.
Johnson and Farmer combined to go 6-for-8 with three RBI.
Sophomore Valerie Hickey (Umatilla, Fla.) and senior Amanda Decker (Apex, N.C.) bashed out back-to-back RBI doubles in the bottom of the third to cut the deficit to two, 6-4.
Stallings led the inning off with a double to left before swiping third.
Hickey and Decker struck again in the fourth to combine for two more RBI's, giving LMC an 8-6 lead.
NGU took advantage of a pair of hits and a costly Bobcat error to score three runs in the top of the seventh. Haley Gray delivered the crucial blow when she connected on a two-run double with two outs in the frame.
The Crusaders bashed out 14 hits while Gray led the team with three RBI.
Freshman Megan Paradise (Medina, Ohio) (0-5) took the loss despite allowing only one earned run in 4.1 innings of action.
North Greenville 5, Lees-McRae 4
The Crusaders (19-18, 9-10) saw designated player Grace DeBoer go a perfect 4-for-4 from the dish and score three runs.
The Bobcats (6-38, 1-15) saw their top five hitters record at least a hit, led by Stallings' three.
Farmer connected on a two-run blast to left center in the top of the fourth to break a scoreless tie.
For the third time on the afternoon, Decker and Hickey supplied the offense.
Hickey drove in Dickson with an RBI single before Decker roped a two-run double to left center, allowing Hickey and Alix Green (Little Mountain, S.C.) to score.
NGU's Taylor Wilson tied it at three with a run-scoring knock in the top of the sixth.
The Crusaders tacked on a pair of runs in the seventh before LMC's Sarah Tucker (Monroe, N.C.) used some speed to leg out an RBI single. However, the Bobcats were unable to tie the contest.
LMC concludes regular season play with a doubleheader against Pfeiffer Tuesday, April 21 at 3 p.m. in Banner Elk, N.C. The Bobcats need Barton to lose twice and must sweep PU in order to have a chance at making the Conference Carolinas Softball Tournament.
- LMC -
