BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University softball team picked up a pair of nonconference wins Sunday, topping Shepherd 13-12 in game one before an 8-4 game two win.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 13, Shepherd 12; King 8, Shepherd 4 (6 innings)
LOCATION: King Softball Field; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 10-6; Shepherd 1-3
KING HIGHLIGHTS
- Peyton Day went 5-for-7, with three doubles and four RBI on the afternoon.
- Erin Foster and Jessica Campbell both went deep, with Campbell driving in a total of five runs and Foster driving in four.
- Savana Luper picked up both wins for the tornado, allowing two earned runs on 12 hits with nine strikeouts in eight innings thrown.
GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS
- The teams traded runs in the first inning as a double steal led to a run for the Tornado.
- In the second inning, Foster gave King a 4-1 lead with a three-run home run that scored Lauren Lawson and Baillie Murray.
- Shepherd regained the lead with four runs in the third, two on a double before a double steal evened the score at four. A sacrifice bunt gave the Rams a 5-4 lead.
- The lead was short lived, however, as a Peyton Day double scored Haylee Dye and evened the score.
- Campbell then laced a grand slam to left center, giving King a 9-5 lead.
- Shepherd scored a pair, one on a defensive miscue and another on a groundout in the fourth inning.
- A two-run double in the fifth inning for Shepherd evened the score at nine before another double plated the go-ahead run.
- Shepherd then took a 12-9 lead, plating runs on a single and a double.
- King responded in the sixth inning as a Day single up the middle scored one before a Lilly Million bases loaded walk scored another.
- Lawson followed with a walk that evened the score at 12.
- Campbell then singled to score one and give King the lead before the Rams cut down an insurance run at the plate.
- Shepherd came up with back-to-back two-out singles in the seventh, putting runners on the corners.
- However, Savana Luper responded with a strikeout to end the game and give King the 13-12 victory.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Savana Luper (4-0) 2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
Losing Pitcher: Katie Laing (0-2) 3.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO
GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS
- Shepherd got off to a hot start again, using a single, stolen base and another single to take a 1-0 lead.
- The Rams scored another unearned run to take a 2-0 lead.
- King cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the inning on a Turner single up the middle that scored Foster who double earlier in the inning.
- The Tornado grabbed a 7-2 lead with six runs in the second inning. Two scored on a passed ball before a Lawson single plated another.
- Thompson laced a single that scored one before Day single scored two, giving King the 7-2 lead.
- Shepherd added another unearned run in the third, cutting the King lead to 7-3.
- King extended their lead back to five in the bottom of the inning as a Foster double drove in Campbell, giving King the 8-3 advantage.
- Shepherd cut into the King lead with a home run in the fifth inning, but the Tornado held an 8-4 lead.
- Luper got out of a jam in the sixth, stranding a pair of Rams as the game was called due to darkness, giving King the 8-4 win.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Savana Luper (2-2) 7.0 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 8 SO
Losing Pitcher: Abby McBride (0-1) 3.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO
FOR THE FOES
- Nicole Purtell was 6-for-9, with a double and an RBI, while Hannah Beeler went 4-for-6.
- Cameron Davis had the lone home run of the day for the Rams.
- Hannah Ruffner threw 3.2 innings on the day, allowing one earned run on five hits with three strikeouts.
UP NEXT
- The Tornado take to the road next week, traveling to 15th-ranked Anderson University on Wednesday. First pitch from Anderson, S.C. is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
- Shepherd hosts Slippery Rock University on Sunday.
