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Box Score 2 WISE, Va. – UVa-Wise softball began the 2016 season on a high note by sweeping Lees-McRae College Saturday afternoon at Cavalier Field. The Cavaliers (2-0) earned a 2-1 victory in game one of the doubleheader after a RBI single by senior designated player
Mindy Combs (Lebanon, Va.) in the bottom of the seventh inning. In game two, the Cavs did not let the visiting Bobcats (1-9) score on their way to a 5-0 victory.
Lees-McRae's Emily Merriam scored an unearned run in the top of the first inning in game one after reaching second base off of a double to left center field, and then taking third on an
Alexa Hernandez (Woodbridge, Va.) error and eventually stealing home.
With two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning second baseman Hernandez hit a home run over the left center field wall to tie up the score for the Cavs at 1-1. Singles by center fielder
Zoe Millard (Glen Allen, Va.) and left fielder
Shannon Bennett (Covington, Va.) put the Cavs in scoring position but both were left on base after a ground out to third by shortstop
Erika McLaughlin (Haymarket, Va.).
In the bottom of the seventh, the Cavs once again had two outs before McLaughlin singled through the left side and then first baseman
Lindsey Packard (Leesburg, Va.) was hit by a pitch. With McLaughlin in scoring position, Combs singled to left center as McLaughlin was able to advance all the way to home plate for the winning run.
Freshman right-handed pitcher
Delany Turner (Leesburg, Va.) tossed all seven innings for the Cavs in her first career start to earn the victory. Combs finished with a three hits including the game-winning RBI in four at bats to lead the Cavs.
Lee-McRae's Charlie Dutton took the loss for the Bobcats, giving up the tying run in three innings of work.
Both teams remained scoreless through four and a half innings in game two of the doubleheader but a three-run fifth propelled the Cavs to victory.
A sacrifice ground out by Packard in the bottom of the fifth advanced third baseman
Samantha Ely (Jonesville, Va.) to second before freshman catcher
Lucindy Lawson (Duffield, Va.) doubled to left field, bringing Ely home. Lawson ended up scoring on a ground out RBI by Bennett, after advancing to third on an error by the Bobcats' shortstop. Later in the inning, Millard gave the Cavs a 3-0 lead by scoring from third off of a wild pitch.
With two outs already recorded in the bottom of the sixth, Packard was hit by another pitch to advance to first before Lawson homered over the right center field wall for the double score. Millard flied out to end the inning as the Cavs took a 5-0 lead into the seventh.
Two ground outs and a foul out by the Bobcats ended the game in the top of the seventh.
Junior right-handed pitcher
Emily Kale (Shelby, N.C.) earned the win for the Cavs in seven innings of work, while Lees-McRae's Kara Cunningham took the loss. Lawson led the Cavs' bats, hitting .667 in the game on her way to three RBI, two hits and a home run.
UVa-Wise did not give up an earned run in the two games.
"I am super excited and thrilled for these girls", Co-Head Coach
Karen Bitter remarked after the game. "They have worked really hard and it was exciting to be able to come out here and play. We have been needing to just compete, it's been a long fall and a long preseason so I'm just really proud of them.
"I felt like they were very resilient and just kept playing defense", Coach
Karen Bitter added. "The pitchers did a fantastic job, kept us in the game and really made some awesome plays. The hitters were able to get it done and scored some runs when we needed them too, especially late in the game. They could've gotten down on themselves and disappointed but they didn't, they just kept fighting back and putting it together.
The Cavs will now head to Greenville, Tennessee, to take part in Tusculum College's Pioneer Classic starting Friday with a single game versus Kutztown University. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Visit
uvawisecavs.com for all Cavalier softball news, statistics, complete schedule and more.
