Behind another solid start from freshman Angie Hughes in game one and an eight-run second inning in game two, the No.4 Lee women's softball won a pair of games against 14th-ranked Brenau University, Saturday afternoon at Butler Field.
Lee 8, Brenau 1
The Lady Flames offense exploded for eight runs in the second inning to take game two from the Golden Tigers, 8-1. Lee sent 13 batters to the plate and benefitted from two Brenau errors that kept the inning alive. The big blow was delivered off the bat of freshman Lizzie Stevens who drilled a three-run shot over the left-center field fence for her first collegiate home run.
Laurel Allen chipped in a pair of hits and scored a run . Charlie Wooden finished 1-for-3 with two RBI and Meg Macias, Jenevieve Cena and Lexie Dean each drove in run in the second inning to complete the Lee scoring.
Brenau enjoyed a brief lead in the top of the second inning on Taylor Kelly's sacrifice fly that scored Katie Bolin.
Caroline MacAusland (6-2) worked the full seven innings for the Lady Flames, scattering 12 hits and giving up just one run. The freshman struck out eight and walked two.
Anna Maness worked the circle for the Golden Tigers. Maness gave up eight runs (four earned) in six innings of work. She struck out five batters and walked a pair.
Tiffany Schandera went 3-for-4 in the contest for Brenau. Elizabeth Schneider and Jenny Shepard were the two other Golden Tigers with multi-hit games, each registering a pair of singles.
Brenau started the ballgame with two sharp singles but the rally was short circuited when Dean threw out Brenau's Tiffany Schandera at the plate as she was trying to score from third on a fly ball.
The two victories help to extend the Lady Flames hold on first place in the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) East Division to six 1/2 games. Lee sits at 32-5 overall and 17-2 in the SSAC. Brenau falls to 20-10 overall and 7-5 in conference play.
The Lady Flames will now gear up for another conference battle on Thursday when 17th-ranked Belhaven comes into Butler Field. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Lee 9, Brenau 1
Despite plenty of opportunities to score early in the contest the Lady Flames found themselves down 1-0 going into the bottom of the fourth inning. Lee responded with two in the fourth and then opened things up with five in the fifth and two more in the sixth to take game one, 9-1.
Ana Cosocorrosa started the fourth by reaching on a hit-by-pitch. After a Wooden sacrifice bunt, a fly out and a pair of walks, Laurel Allen blooped in a two-run single to give the Lady Flames their first lead of the contest.
Lee followed with a five-run fifth to blow the contest open. The Lady Flames sent 11 batters to the plate and registered six hits. Allen once again delivered with another run-scoring single. The sophomore finished a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI.
Jenevieve Cena delivered a two-run homer to complete the run-rule victory in the sixth inning. Cena wnet 1-for 3 with two RBI and scored twice.
Angie Hughes moved to 14-1 on the season with another solid performance inside the circle. The freshman gave up just one run on two hits and struck out five in six innings of work.
Jenny Shepard was tagged with the loss for the Golden Tigers. Shepard worked four innings and gave up six runs on eight hits. Taylor Causey worked 1 1/3 innings of relief and was charged with three runs on five hits.
Caitlyn Glenn drove in the lone Brenau run in the second inning on a sacrifice fly.
