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The Lee University softball team opened the home portion of its 2018 schedule Thursday afternoon and recorded a doubleheader sweep of Lincoln Memorial to improve to 4-3 on the year. The Lady Flames claimed the opener 4-3 in eight innings before exploding on offense for a 9-1 run-rule shortened finale.
 
The Lady Flames are back in action on Feb. 9 at the annual Charger Chill Out in Huntsville, Ala. Lee is scheduled to take on the University of Indianapolis at 2 p.m., before taking on Truman State University with first pitch at 4 p.m.
 
 
LEE 4, LMU 3 (GAME ONE)
After allowing one run on an Emma Webb single, Lee answered back with a two-run double to right center by Taylor Moran to score Brooklynn Frazier and Stevie Baird to take a 2-1 after the first inning.
 
The Railsplitters (1-3) used the long ball to retake the lead. Ashely Hunter hit a solo home run to right field in the top of the fourth and Allie Jones gave the Railsplitters a 3-2 lead with a solo home run in the sixth inning.
 
Freshman Maddie Davenport would come up big for the Lady Flames in the bottom of the sixth. With two out and a 1-2 count, she launched the first home run of her career to dead center to even things at three going into the final frame.
 
Lincoln Memorial would then go three up and three down in the top of the seventh. Lee was able to get runners to second and third thanks to an Abby McKinney single up the middle, followed up by a Moran double to right field. Lincoln Memorial pitcher Brianna Taylor would get Zoe Miller to ground out to short to send the Lady Flames to their third extra-inning game of the year.
 
With the international tiebreaker rule in effect, LMU had Savannah Daniel pinch run and be placed on second to start the inning. McKinney would get the first batter to fly out to center before she walked Cochran to put runners on first and second with one out. Coach Russell would then go to the pen and bring in senior Leigh Beatenbough. Jones singled to left, but a base running error would prove costly for the visitors leaving runners on second and third with two out. Beatenbough would then then get Webb to ground out to third to end the inning.
 
In the Lady Flames' half of the eighth inning, Miller would be placed on second. Junior college transfer Claudia Jones laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Miller to third. Sophomore Kayla Louie bunted and Miller evaded the LMU catcher's tag to complete the walk-off win.
 
Beatenbough was credited with the win to move to 2-0 on the year and Taylor would get the tough loss to drop to 1-1. McKinney pitched 7 1/3 innings and gave up four hits (two homeruns), three runs (all earned), walked four and struck out seven. Beatenbough pitched the final 2/3 of an inning and allowed only one hit in the relief effort.
 
Moran, the reigning GSC Freshman of the year, went 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI to lead the Lady Flames hitting effort. McKinney would go 2-for-4 to help the offense.
 
 
LEE 9, LMU 1 (GAME TWO)
Game two was a different ball game for the Lady Flames. Lee received plenty of offense to invoke the mercy rule after six innings.  
 
"We hit the ball hard in the first game, but unfortunately right at people," said Head Coach Emily Russell. "Maddie [Davenport] hit a home run to tie us up and then we kind of had the advantage. We started playing our game and it carried into game two."
 
The scoring got started in the bottom of the first with Louie scoring on a wild pitch to take the lead 1-0. Lincoln Memorial would answer in the top of the third when Jones scored on Webb's double to tie the game at one.
 
Coach Russell's squad would get the bats going scoring five runs in the bottom of the third. Baird doubled in Lily Hatcher and Kayla Gooch to take a 3-1 lead with two outs. A two out rally would ensue with McKinney blasting a home run to right field to score Louie and Baird and push the lead to 6-1.
 
Lee was able to get one more across in the bottom of the fifth on a Baird fielder's choice to score Miller to make it 7-1. Beatenbough delivered a pinch hit two-run double to plate Sam Hill and Miller to end the game at 9-1.
 
LMU's Justice Smith would get tagged with the loss to drop to 0-2. Smith went five innings, giving up eight hits, seven runs (all earned), walked seven and struck out three. Madison Shields pitched 2/3 innings in relief and gave up two hits, two earned runs and three walks.
 
Erika Greek earned the complete game win, her first as a Lady Flame, to improve to 1-1 on the year. Greek pitched six innings, gave up three hits, one earned run, walked only three batters and struck out 11 in the nightcap.
 
Louie went 2-for-3 and Gooch was 3-for-3 with both also reaching via base on balls. Baird went 1-for-2 and had three RBIs, while McKinney went 1-for-4 with three RBI to lead the Lady Flames to victory.
 
"With a young team, we are mostly sophomores and two freshman on the field, we're still out there trying to recreate and figure out who we are and how we're going to play," said Russell. "That's a big part of these early games. It was disappointing this weekend, but through the process and where we are in it, we're starting to get better every time we're out there."