HICKORY, N.C. – UVA Wise was swept in its road doubleheader at Lenoir-Rhyne University Friday afternoon. The Cavaliers rallied late in game one, but fell 6-5 in eight innings on a walk-off hit as the Bears took game two, 8-3.
UVA Wise (8-15-1, 3-9 SAC) recorded a hit in each of the first three innings, but neither team scored until the fifth inning when Lenoir-Rhyne (15-7, 11-5 SAC) got on the board first with a two-run shot off the bat of the Bears' Payton Bryant to take the lead. Lenoir-Rhyne tallied two more hits and stole a pair of bases in the frame, but ended the inning with bases loaded.
Back-to-back walks led the top half of the seventh as senior Katie Russell homered down the left field line to pull in front of the Bears, 3-2. A Sarah Barrett double followed by a RBI single to left for fellow freshman Jenna McDermott tacked on one more run as Barrett made her way home with the Cavs ahead, 4-2, into the bottom of the frame.
The Bears pushed two more across to knot the game at 4-4, but a fly out and ground out left one on for Lenoir-Rhyne heading into the eighth inning.
With senior Alexis Miles on second in the top of the eighth, a sacrifice bunt from sophomore McKenna Falwell and a Lenoir-Rhyne error sent Miles home to give the Cavs a 5-4 edge.
Lenoir-Rhyne tied the contest once more on a fielder's choice before a walk-off double off the bat of the Bears' Hannah Jennings put Lenoir-Rhyne back on top for the game one win.
Barrett and McDermott led the Cavs with two hits each. Senior Kailyn Spencer fell to 0-2 on the season as she scattered two hits in 1 1/3 innings of work.
Lenoir-Rhyne's Morgan Beeler (4-0) earned the win as she yielded two hits and struck out a pair across 1 2/3 innings.
Barrett began game two with another leadoff hit for UVA Wise, but nothing came of it as the Cavs were unable to push across a run in the top of the first.
The Bears scored three in the home half of the first frame on a pair of errors and a RBI single from Jennings to take a 3-0 advantage into the second inning. Lenoir-Rhyne drove in two more unearned runs on a Kendall Osborne single to extend the margin to 5-0.
A hit by pitch put senior Kaylee Jones on first as Miles followed on the next at bat with a blast to right center field, cutting the Bears lead 5-2.
UVA Wise added one more run in the top of the sixth as freshman Kara Long's single to right field put two on for the Cavs after Russell singled down the right field line on the previous at bat. A two-out single to right field from sophomore Riley Hunt scored Russell to end the top of the frame, 5-3, as the Cavs continued to climb from behind.
The Bears tacked on a trio of runs in the bottom of the sixth on a Kylee Leonhardt three-run homer to left field giving Lenoir-Rhyne an 8-3 lead. UVA Wise would not be able to get a runner on in the seventh as the Bears held on for the win.
Long led the Cavs in the second game going 2-for-3 at the plate. Falwell fell to 4-7 on the season with the loss as she scattered 12 hits while striking out seven in 5 2/3 innings.
The Bears' Lauren Rakes (6-3) earned the win in the circle as she yielded three hits and fanned five across 3 2/3 innings.
Up next, UVA Wise will step back out of conference play this Wednesday for a doubleheader at West Virginia State beginning at 1 p.m.
