Lenoir-Rhyne Softball Clinches SAC Regular Season Title With Doubleheader Sweep Of Carson-Newman, 6-0 And 5-0
Bears win the league title outright for the second time in three years
April 14, 2006

Courtesy Lenoir-Rhyne College Sports Information Office

Jefferson City, Tenn. – The Lenoir-Rhyne College Softball Team (44-8-1, 12-2) clinched the South Atlantic Conference regular season title with a doubleheader sweep of Carson-Newman College (39-11, 10-4), 6-0 and 5-0, Friday afternoon at the Carson-Newman Softball Complex in Jefferson City, Tenn. The title is the third in school history for the Bears, all under Head Coach Shena Hollar, and their second outright championship in three years. L-R also won the SAC crown in 2000 and 2004.

Game One – Lenoir-Rhyne 6, Carson-Newman 0

Lenoir-Rhyne freshman Casey Hanes (Richmond, Va./Douglas Freeman HS) set the school record for wins in a season with the complete game shutout. Hanes (24-6) limited the Lady Eagles to seven hits and struck out eight for her 15th shutout of the year.

The Bears took control early with two runs in the first inning on a bases-loaded single by sophomore first baseman Leah Krohn (Taylorsville, N.C./Alexander Central HS) which scored two.

L-R made it 3-0 in the second on an RBI triple by junior shortstop Brooke Starnes (Conover, N.C./St. Stephens HS).

Ahead by four entering the seventh, the Bears finished off the Lady Eagles with two runs including an RBI double by Starnes, who tallied three hits and two RBI to lead Lenoir-Rhyne.

Carson-Newman’s Megan Elliott (Chattanooga, Tenn.) fell to 28-7 in the loss.

Game Two – Lenoir-Rhyne 5, Carson-Newman 0

The Bears’ pitching shined once again as sophomore Meredith O’Connor (Charlotte, N.C./Appalachian State University) (17-2) held the Lady Eagles to five hits to go along with 10 strikeouts for the complete game shutout.

Lenoir-Rhyne set the tone once again and staked itself to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Sophomore centerfielder Taylor Queen (Conover, N.C./St. Stephens HS) led off the game with a triple and scored on an RBI hit by sophomore catcher Karie Pushard (Harrisburg, N.C./Central Cabarrus HS).

Krohn and senior second baseman Chrissy Lunsford (Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek HS) added RBIs in the frame as well.

Pushard hit a solo home run in the fifth inning and a run-scoring single by Lunsford in the seventh culminated the scoring for the Bears.

Four Lenoir-Rhyne players tallied two hits in game two while Pushard added two runs and two RBI.

The Lady Eagles’ Jessie Armstrong (Buford, Ga.) fell to 11-4 with the loss.

Lenoir-Rhyne hosts Anderson College (S.C.) on Tuesday at 2 p.m., in a doubleheader in its regular season finale.