BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University softball team earned a pair of tough wins on Wednesday afternoon. The Tornado scored three runs in the sixth inning of game one to defeat Concord University 5-4 before scoring two in the eighth inning to take game two 4-3.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 5, Concord 4; King 4, Concord 3 (F/8)
LOCATION: King Softball Field; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 11-5, Concord 3-9
KING HIGHLIGHTS
- Camryn Haag and Haylee Dye paced the Tornado offense, each going 3-for-6.
- Haag drove in two, including the game-tying run in the eighth inning of game two.
- Dye drove in a pair, including the winning run of game two.
- Lauren Lawson collected a pair of hits and scored twice.
GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS
- Concord got their offense going right away with a leadoff single.
- Following another single and a pair of outs, the Mountain Lions took a 2-0 lead on a dropped fly ball.
- The score remained the same until the second inning when a Peyton Day leadoff single got the Tornado offense going.
- Lawson followed with a double that scored Day before Day scored on a Haag double, evening the score at two.
- After Nikole Counts got out of the first inning, she retired 11 straight batters before a one-out single in the fifth inning.
- In the sixth she retired the final three batters following a leadoff double that was stranded on third base.
- Chelsea Sams started a King rally with a one-out double off the center field fence in the bottom of the sixth inning.
- Erin Foster later drove her in with a two-out single, giving King a 3-2 lead.
- The Tornado added two more runs and a Mountain Lion dropped flyball to take a 5-2 advantage.
- Those insurance runs were need as Concord's Delaney Fulk ripped a two-run home run to center field in the top of the seventh.
- The Mountain Lions then put the next runner on before Counts retired the final two batters, giving King the 5-4 win and stranding the tying run at second base.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Nikole Counts (4-3) 7.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO
Losing Pitcher: Rachael Koller (2-4) 6.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 6 SO
GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS
- The nightcap was a pitcher's duel between Carly Turner and Laura Thompson over the first four innings.
- King had the first scoring chance in the second inning, loading the bases, but couldn't push a run across as Thompson got out of the inning.
- Following a leadoff double in the first inning and a leadoff walk in the second inning, Turner retired seven straight before a one-out single in the fourth.
- The Mountain Lions had another baserunner in the inning, but Turner left them stranded.
- King grabbed the lead in the bottom of the fourth as Lawson started the inning with a double before scoring on a Haag double.
- Haag later scored on a Dye single, giving King a 2-0 lead.
- Concord responded in the bottom of the inning, however, as a wild pitch scored one and Thompson drove in the game-tying run with a single up the middle.
- The Tornado looked to take the lead again in the sixth, but two Tornado runners were stranded.
- In the King half of the seventh, Rikkelle Miller led off with a double, but Concord relief pitcher Caitlyn Bauer stranded her at third base, sending the game to extra innings.
- A single and a defensive error allowed Concord to take a 3-2, but King relief pitcher, Marleigh Duncan retired the final two batters to bring the Tornado to bat.
- With Duncan on second, Haag laced a double to right center, scoring Duncan and evening the score.
- Delaney Porter followed with a single to center field and it appeared as though pinch runner Counts would score to win the game for the Tornado, but she was thrown out at the plate.
- However, Dye followed with a single up the middle, scoring Porter and giving King the 4-3 victory.
OF RECORD
- Winning Pitcher: Marleigh Duncan (5-2) 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
- Losing Pitcher: Caitlyn Bauer (1-3) 3.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO
FOR THE FOES
- Kassidy Garvey, Thompson and Kylee Stace all posted two hits for the Mountain Lions.
- Thompson and Stacy ripped doubles while Fulk drove in a pair.
UP NEXT
- King takes to the road to face Newberry College and Davis & Elkins College on Saturday and Sunday in Newberry, S.C.
- On Saturday, the Tornado face Davis & Elkins at 1:00 p.m. and Newberry at 3:00 p.m. and on Sunday, King faces Newberry at 11:00 a.m. and Davis & Elkins at 3:00 p.m.
- Concord faces Trevecca Nazarene University and Concordia University St. Paul on Monday in Winter Haven, Fla.
