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Julia Mardigian
Julia Mardigian had a grand slam and ended the contest with six RBI, setting a career high.
photo courtesy of Lenoir-Rhyne Athletics

Lenoir-Rhyne Softball Splits Doubleheader With Newberry

The Lenoir-Rhyne Softball Team rallied for three runs with two outs in the 7th inning to force extra innings in the night cap but the Wolves scored in the bottom of the 8th to salvage a split with the visiting Bears. LR used three home runs and Morgan Beeler picked up win number 18 in the circle as the Bears won 10-8 in game one. Kaylan Brown had four hits on the day including her third home run of the season. The Bears lost the nightcap, 5-4.

In game one, after the Wolves scored two runs in the bottom of the first, the Bears tied it up with a Katelyn Rackard two-out two-run single in the top of the second inning. With a 3-2 lead, the Bears then used the long ball to break the game open as Lora Beth Wood hit a two-run shot in the 4th and Brown and Rackard hit back to back in the 5th to give the Bears a 9-3 lead.

Talon LaClair ended the scoring for the Bears with a RBI single in the 7th inning to give the Bears double digit on the game. Wolves made things interested scoring a pair of runs in the 6th and 7th but Morgan Beeler struck out her eight hitter of the night to give the Bears the 10-8 win.

Brown, Rackard and Lauren Jackson had three hits a piece as the Bears had 15 hits in the game, their most in SAC play. Beeler did give up a season high six earned run but did pick up her 18th victory of the season.

With the victory in game one, the Bears have won 1199 career games in program history.

In game two, Newberry struck first again in the second game as the Wolves scored a pair of runs in the first and third innings to open a 4-0 lead. The Bears were held off the scoreboard till a solo homerun from Mardigian in the 6th inning.

Down to their final out, the Bears rallied scoring three times including a two-out two-run single by Wall to bring it to 4-3 then LaClair scored on a wild pitch to tie it and forced extra innings. With a runner on second to start the extra frame, the Bears failed to score but Wolves got a two-out single in the bottom half to walk it off.

Brooklin Heavner (3-1) took the lost in the circle. Heavner threw the complete game allowing five runs (four earned).

Newberry snaps a three-game losing streak against LR in the night cap as LR holds a 39-12 advantage all-time.

With two series left, the Bears fell to third place, one game behind Lincoln Memorial for second and two games behind Wingate for first. Bears travel to LMU on Monday while LMU still faces Wingate next Saturday. Beeler moved into 7th place all-time in career strikeouts with her eight K’s.

Heading into the game, Beeler was leading the SAC in Wins (17) and Strikeouts (155) and tied in ERA at 1.64.

Wall extended her hitting streak to ten games with a four hit day. After fellow Sophomore Julia Mardigian reach the 100 hit mark on Wednesday, Rackard reach the 100 hit mark with her RBI single in the second inning of the first game.

Bears are now 1-1 in extra innings this season.

The Bears are 31-9 overall, 13-7 in the South Atlantic Conference.  LR will travel to Lincoln Memorial on Monday for the rescheduled series against the Railsplitters. First-pitch is schedule for 1:00 PM.