The No. 23 Lenoir-Rhyne Softball Team split with Lees-McRae in non-conference action on Thursday afternoon. After losing 5-1 in the opener, Lora Beth Wood’s two-out RBI single in the 6th inning gave the Bears the lead for good as LR took game two 9-7. Talon LaClair hit her 7th homerun of the season in the night cap.

In game one, for the second straight game, the Bears were held to three hits however this time in a loss as the Bobcats scored a single run in the first and a pair of runs in the fourth and sixth to give Lees-McRae the 5-1 win.

Morgan Beeler (11-3) took the loss as the senior saw her 16 inning scoreless streak snapped as she gave up three runs in 3 1/3 innings. Lauren Rakes came in relief for the final 2 2/3 innings striking out three including her 600th career punch out.

Anna Blume got the only RBI for the Bears, continuing her red-hot month of March as the senior is hitting .428 in the nine games this month.

Back and forth action in the night cap saw the lead change hands five times before the Bears scored twice in the 6th to regain the lead for good. Brooklin Heavner got the start in the circle as the sophomore went four innings and striking out a career high seven hitters.

Beeler came in relief to pick up her 12th win of the season and 42nd of her career. Beeler allowed two unearned runs in three innings of relief of Heavner. Cassidy Wall broke out of her 1-21 slump with a three hit game, her ninth multi-hit game of the year as Wall and Wood had two-out RBI hits in the big 6th inning.

LaClair hit her 7th homerun of the game in the third inning. The 7th homerun ties her career high as LaClair hit 7 during the shortened 2020 season. Rackard scored three of the Bears nine runs as Rackard, Wall and Julia Mardigian had multi hits in the contest.

Lees-McRae’s win in game one was the first-ever over LR as the Bears won the first 22 games in the series. Before these games, three of the last six games in this series have gone in extra innings including a nine-inning win in Hickory last season.

Rakes becomes just the fifth pitcher in program history with 600 strikeouts. Rakes is only one of seven active players in Division II to accomplish this feat currently. Morgan Beeler and Lauren Rakes each have 100 strikeouts in the circle this season, they are the only two teammates in Division II to accomplish that so far this season.

Wood’s 10 game hitting streak came to end in game one. However, Wood did reach base in both games and now has reached base in 20 straight games. LaClair’s homerun was her 21st career homerun. It was Rackard’s 13th multi-hit game of the season in game two. Beeler is 11th all-time in wins in program history.

Lenoir-Rhyne is 23-5 overall on the season. The Bears will return to SAC play with a trip to Mars Hill on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 PM.