CLEVELAND, Tenn. –In the final double header of the season, the Lee University softball team split with Delta State University on Friday afternoon. The Lady Statesmen won the first game 4-3 and then the Lady Flames won the second game 8-0. Lee improved to 20-34 and 11-21 in GSC action on the season. The two teams will play their final game of the season on Saturday at 2 PM. Lee will celebrate senior day before the start of the contest.
GAME 1
DSU got on the board first. Jorie McKnight singled and then stole second base. After a ground out, Carly Dunigan hit a sacrifice fly to score McKnight. The Lady Flames took the lead in the third. Addi Emmerson walked to lead off the frame. Then Hope Barnett got on via an error. They were both brought home by a Katie Hastings single to give Lee the 2-1 lead.
The Lady Flames extended the lead with a solo home run from Addi Lewis in the bottom of the fourth. In the fifth, DSU tied the game. The Lady Statesmen hit three straight singles and then an error allowed Laney Daigrepont to score. Dunigan then hit into a double play, but Maeve Lavoy scored to make it a 3-3 game.
DSU took the lead for the final time in the game in the sixth. Mary Teague singled and DSU eventually brought her all the way around the bases before Daigrepont's singles scored Teague to give DSU the 4-3 lead which would end up being the final score.
DSU outhit Lee 7-4. Lee had three errors while DSU had two. Layne Bailey threw the complete game for Lee. She gave up four runs with only two earned on the seven hits.
GAME 2
The second game of the double header was Madison Pinzon's game. She had two home runs for five RBI. The reigning GSC Freshman of the Week had five RBI on two home runs. Last week she hit four home runs and had eight RBI.
Pinzon brought the first runs of the game home in the second. Addi Lewis was walked to lead off the frame. Then after Alyson Jarvi got on with a fielder's choice and Lewis was out, Hailey Simco flew out to right field. Pinzon then came through with her first home run of the day to straight away centerfield to make it 2-0
The Lady Flames doubled the lead in the fourth. Kaelin Ault walked and then stole second base. Nat Toups then singled to shallow left field and the ball rolled between the legs of the left fielder Maeve Lavoy and rolled all the way to the wall. Ault easily scored on the error and Toups also scored on a three base error as she slid into home to beat the tag.
Lee ended the game in the fifth. Hayden Gardner singled to start the rally. Then Lewis singled down the right field line and Gardner went to third. In a pinch hit situation, Taryn Gibbs got her first RBI of the season as she singled into center field to score Gardner. The game ended with the next batter as Pinzon hit a three-run home run to end the game.
Lee out hit DSU 9-4 with Pinzon getting two hits and five RBI.
Kaylee Underwood got the complete game shutout as she threw five innings and gave up four hits and struck out three. She only threw 52 pitches in the win.
Coach Emily Russell's Thoughts:
"We are a young team and are trying to learn a lot of things. Game one was tough. We are in finals and so they came right to the field from finals today. But we can't let those be excuses or reasons why we are not focused. Those are lessons we are continually learning."
