Hickory, N.C. – The Lenoir-Rhyne University Bears extended their winning streak to eight after taking both games of the doubleheader against the Le Moyne College softball team on Monday afternoon.
The first contest between the two sides was closely contested, and the Bears came away with a 3-0 win. During game two, Lenoir-Rhyne first year outfielder Cassidy Wall belted two home runs, producing four total RBIs, and the Bears scored three runs during the bottom of the 5
th inning to earn a 10-2 win and improve to 10-5 on the season, while the Dolphins fell to 2-4 following their first three doubleheaders of the campaign.
Bears junior pitcher Lauren Rakes started game one and went the distance. In 7.0 innings pitched, Rakes allowed zero runs and just three hits, while recording 16 strikeouts. Rakes now holds a 5-1 record on the year with a 1.83 ERA.
Redshirt-sophomore right-hander
Laura Bennett (Corning, N.Y./Corning-Painted Post) started the game in the circle for Le Moyne. In 5.0 innings of work Bennett struck out five batters and allowed three runs. First year pitcher
Julia Panarella (Southington, Conn./Southington) pitched the sixth inning for the 'Phins and did not allow a run.
Lenoir-Rhyne put base runners on first and second during the bottom of the 1
st, but Bennett got a ground ball to end the inning. Bennett delivered a 1-2-3 inning during the bottom of the 2
nd, but Bears first year middle infielder Katelyn Rackard drove a solo homerun to right center field during the bottom of the 3rd to give her team a 1-0 lead.
Lenoir-Rhyne added a run during the bottom of the 5
th inning to double their lead.
With two outs in the top of the 6
th, junior left fielder
Dominique Russo (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) ripped the ball hard past the second baseman to give Le Moyne their first baserunner of the afternoon. Junior center fielder
Isabelle Boudreau (Memramcook, New Brunswick/Mathieu-Martin/Pace) followed it up with a base hit to left field which put Russo in scoring position. Rakes recorded an important strikeout to end the inning.
The Bears led off the bottom of the 6
th inning with a solo homer to extend their lead to 3-0.
Senior catcher
Cassidy Barrett (Apalachin, N.Y./Vestal) singled to left field to start to start the top of the 7
th. Rakes recorded a strikeout for the first out of the inning, and then junior
Mckenzie Bergdoll (Attleboro, Mass./Attleboro) singled to the left side of the infield and advanced to second base on a throwing error. With baserunners on second and third with one out, Rakes recorded her 15
th and 16
th strikeouts of the contest to end the game and give the Bears a 3-0 victory during the first game of the doubleheader.
First year utility player
Dominique Rinaldi (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) hit a one-out solo homerun during the top of the 1
st inning to give the Dolphins a 1-0 lead in doubleheader game number two. Bergdoll and
Alyssa Dybacz (Baldwinsville, N.Y./Charles W. Baker) each singled during the inning.
The Bears got the run back in the bottom half of the inning when graduate outfielder Savannah Moorefield drew a walk, stole second base, then scored on a Cassidy Wall single to left. Lenoir-Rhyne scored two more runs during the inning to take a 3-1 lead.
Barrett led off the top of the 3
rd inning with a base hit, and Bergdoll advanced her to second base with a ground ball to the right side. Dybacz then singled up the middle which brought Barrett around to score and cut the Le Moyne's deficit to 3-2.
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Lenoir-Rhyne added two runs during the bottom of the 3
rd, including a solo home run from Wall. Wall then hit a two-run home run during the next inning to extend her team's lead to 7-2. Lenoir-Rhyne scored three runs during the bottom of the 5
th to end the game.
The Le Moyne College softball team does not play again until March 12, when they travel to Winter Haven, Florida for 12 games.
