JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The King University softball team picked up a pair of wins Friday afternoon, outlasting Carson-Newman 12-8 in what was a wild game before
Rikkelle Miller hit a walk-off home run to beat West Virginia State 6-3.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 12, Carson-Newman 8; King 6, West Virginia State 3
LOCATION: The Vick; Jefferson City, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 3-2, Carson-Newman 10-3; King 4-2, West Virginia State 1-2
KING HIGHLIGHTS
- Haylee Dye went 5-8 on the day, including a 4-for-5 performance against Carson-Newman. She had two runs batted in and five runs scored, four of which came against the Eagles.
- Lauren Lawson drove in five runs, all of which came against Carson-Newman, where she went 2-for-3 while also drawing a walk.
- Carly Turner had two home runs on the day, finishing 5-for-7, with five runs batted in. She also got it done on the mound in game two, throwing six innings with a season-high 11 strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED – CARSON-NEWMAN
- The Tornado struck right away, as Turner hit a home run to right-center field in the top of the first to score Dye and give King a 2-0 lead.
- After a four-run bottom of the first, Samantha Helms hit a solo home run in the second, cutting the lead to 4-3.
- King's offense really started to come alive in the fifth, scoring three runs, with Turner picking up an RBI double, and Lawson driving in a pair of runs with a double into the right-center field gap, giving King a 7-6 lead.
- King piled on in the sixth, scoring five runs. It all started when Peyton Day led off with a double into center field, which was followed by Delaney Porter getting hit by a pitch.
- After Erin Foster singled to load the bases, Dye delivered a single into left field to score a run.
- The big blow came a short time later, when Lawson hit a double to the center field fence to score three runs, giving King a 11-6 lead.
- The Tornado added one final run with an RBI single from Tinsley Thompson, taking a 12-6 lead.
- The Eagles scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run home run, but Nikole Counts was able to induce a groundout and a lineout to end the game.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Nikole Counts (1-1) 7.0 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO
Losing Pitcher: Sara King (6-1) 5.0 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO
FOR THE FOES
- Macey Hughes was 2-for-4 for the Eagles, with four RBI and two runs scored. She provided a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh for Carson-Newman.
- NicKolette Ferguson threw two relief innings, allowing four runs on five hits with a pair of strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED – WEST VIRGINIA STATE
- After the Yellow Jackets got a pair of hits in the top of the first, King scored in the bottom of the inning, with Foster leading off by getting hit by a pitch, which was followed by Turner hitting a double and Miller getting an RBI on a sacrifice bunt.
- West Virginia State tied the game in the fourth, on a two-out RBI single up the middle.
- King took the lead in the sixth, as Turner hit her second home run of the day, this one down the left field line to drive in Dye and give King a 3-1 lead.
- The Tornado had West Virginia State down to their last out in the top of the seventh when the Yellow Jackets tied the game on a inside-the-park home run.
- Foster led off the bottom of the seventh for King with a single to center field, advancing to second on a Dye sacrifice bunt.
- Turner then drew a walk, putting two runners on for Miller, who took the first pitch she saw and hit a walk-off home run to left center field, scoring three runs and handing the Tornado a thrilling 6-3 victory.
OF RECORD
- Winning Pitcher: Marleigh Duncan (2-1) 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
Losing Pitcher: Kasey Murphy (0-2) 6.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 9 SO
FOR THE FOES
- The top seven batters in the lineup all recorded hits for the Yellow Jackets, highlighted by a 2-for-3 performance from Lindsey Phares, while Emma Ruth was 1-of-4, with her one hit being the home run in the top of the seventh.
- Kasey Murphy threw the full game for the Yellow Jackets, allowing five earned runs on seven hits while striking out nine Tornado batters.
UP NEXT
- The three teams will all be in action Saturday, with King facing Carson-Newman at 12:30 p.m. and West Virginia State at 2:30 p.m. to wrap up the weekend.
