CLEVELAND, Tenn. –After a lengthy rain delay, the Lee University softball team had a big sixth inning to break the tie with Cedarville University and earn a 5-1 victory in the first game of the series. Natalie Pruitt-Geesey pitched a complete game for the Lady Flames and earned her fourth win of the season. With the win, Lee improved to 5-1 on the year while Cedarville fell to 1-4.
 
Cedarville got on the board with a run in the top of the first. Cailtlin Colley singled for the Yellow Jackets. Then two batters later, Ella Leonard reached on an error by the second baseman Ava Perkins, and that brough Colley home for the only run of the game for Cedarville.
 
Lee answered with their first run in the bottom of the second. Bella Galloway got on with a walk. She made her way to third base before Perkins reached on an error which brought Galloway home. Lee left the bases loaded in the second and fourth innings and could not bring a run home. 
 
Right before the start of the sixth inning, it started to rain. It was an 1:34 delay before the game resumed. Lee forced Cedarville to go down in order in the top of the sixth. Then in the bottom of the sixth the offense came together for the Lady Flames.
 
Rylie Goodridge started the rally with a single. Natalie Toups followed that with a single. Perkins then hit a ball off the left field fence to score Goodridge. Alexa Scalzo got on with a single. Then Ana Mach brought another run home off an error by the third baseman for Cedarville. Hailey Simco had an RBI single and Galloway had a sacrifice fly to score the final run of the game. The Yellow Jackets could not score in the seventh and Lee win 5-1.
 
Perkins led the way with two RBI while Simco had two hits. Pruitt-Geesey gave up one unearned run on eight hits and had four strikeouts in the win.
 
Lee and Cedarville wil play in a double header on Saturday, February 8 at 11 AM. at Butler Field.