Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 by Benny Benton
BANNER ELK, N.C. – For the second straight day and fifth time in a league series this year, the Barton College softball team came away from a Conference Carolinas doubleheader with a split of the two games.
The Lady Bulldogs (19-22, 7-11) had hoped to claim a sweep of 11th-place Lees-McRae College (8-32, 4-12) on Sunday and move within one win of clinching a league tournament berth. But Barton lost that opportunity in the opener when it gave no offensive support to Liz White's three-hit pitching performance in a 1-0 defeat.
Barton finally scored three runs in the first inning of game two, then held on at the end to post a 3-2 victory. The split left the Lady Bulldogs with a one-game lead on North Greenville University and a two-game advantage on Lees-McRae with four league games remaining.
Game 1 – Lees-McRae 1, Barton 0
White (10-11), who has now thrown four complete games this year while giving up three hits or less, walked two and struck out four in the contest.
Lees-McRae scored the game's only run in the bottom of the first inning when Kara Cunningham drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a double to center by Emily Merriam.
White gave up just two more hits the rest of the way, a leadoff double to Cunningham in the third and a two-out double to Noel Cassidy in the sixth.
The Windsor, N.C., senior would work out of both of those innings with no further damage to keep it a one-run game, but the Barton offense only generated four hits off the freshman Cunningham (2-11), two by junior Taylor Bowden.
Still, the Lady Bulldogs had their chances. The four hits came in four different innings, and each time another batter also reached base – three by walk and one by error. In all four cases, however, Barton stranded the two runners.
Barton had a final chance in the top of the seventh when Briana Jackson pinch-hit and delivered a single to right field, but the speedy Jackson was thrown out for the first time all season trying to steal second base.
Cunningham walked four and struck out four in collecting her first collegiate shutout and Lees-McRae's first in conference play in two seasons.
Game 2 – Barton 3, Lees-McRae 2
Barton's offense finally broke through in the first inning of game two, although it received a little help from the LMC defense as well.
Crystal Britton led off the game with an infield single to third, and White also reached base on a bunt. After Rachel Jordan sacrificed both runners over, Kelsie Conner produced a single up the middle. One run scored on the hit, and another came home on a fielding error by the centerfielder. Conner advanced to third on the miscue and scored on a single through the left side by Bowden, giving BC a quick 3-0 lead.
Lees-McRae threatened immediately after getting a one-out double and a Barton error in the bottom of the first. However, Barton pitcher Hannah Jones (8-10) induced consecutive grounders to short to work her way out of the inning.
Neither team seriously threatened again until Barton loaded the bases with one out in the fourth, but LMC pitcher Charlie Dutton (2-12) coaxed a double-play ball to end the inning.
Dutton then helped herself in the bottom of the fourth by delivering an RBI single up the middle, Lees-McRae's third hit of the inning. However, Jones struck out Sarah Stallings to leave two more Bobcat runners stranded.
The scene repeated itself in the sixth inning, as Lees-McRae produced two hits to set up Dutton, who laced a single down the left field line to drive in her second run of the game and cut Barton's lead to 3-2. However, Jones again avoided further damage, getting a groundout to short to strand two more baserunners.
The Bobcats threatened one final time in the seventh, getting two hits in the frame to put the tying run at second base with two outs. But Jones got a fly ball to left to end the game.
Jones allowed 10 hits, did not walk a batter and struck out a pair in earning the win.
After surrendering three hits in the first inning, Dutton allowed Barton just three more the rest of the game. Dutton walked two and struck out three in the loss.
Barton's six hits came from six different players. Karly McRary and Sarah Tucker joined Dutton with two hits each for LMC.
The doubleheader was the last regular-season road series for the Lady Bulldogs. Barton returns home to host rival University of Mount Olive on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
