Led by solid pitching from Angie Hughes and great production from the top of the lineup the Lee softball team topped Delta State 5-3 in Gulf South Conference action on Friday evening.
Hughes (11-10) worked all seven innings in the circle for the Lady Flames giving up three runs on eight hits to move over the .500 mark on the season.
Speedster Amanda Lynn recorded two singles, stole a base and score a run to jump start the Lee offense. Lexie Dean continued her tear at the plate finishing a perfect 3-for-3.
Senior Ana Coscorrosa drove in a run and singled twice.
Taylor Tucker (9-8) started and was tagged with the loss for the Lady Statesmen. Tucker pitched the full seven innings yielding five runs (three earned) on nine hits. She struck out four and walked a pair.
Lee struck first with two runs in the top of the first inning. After a Lady Statesmen error plated the first run for the Lady Flames Meghan Macias scored as Dominique Hannah swiped second on a double steal to take the early 2-0 advantage.
The Lady Flames would two more in the fifth inning as Dean and Lynn scored on a Lady Statesmen throwing error after a Coscorrosa single to left center.
Neither team recorded an extra base hit in the contest. Lee made the most of their nine singles leaving just five runners on. The Lady Statesmen struggled to find the big hit off of Hughes leaving 10 runners on.
The Lady Statesmen climbed back into the game with two runs in the home half of the fifth. Kaitlin Moore ripped a two-run single up the middle to cut the lead in half. A RBI groundout by Memrie Corely would pull the home team within one in the sixth inning before Hughes slammed the door on the comeback effort.
Lee would add an insurance run in the seventh inning as Coscorrosa singled in Laurel Allen for her team-leading 51st RBI of the year.
The victory marks the third straight victory for the Lady Flames as they move to 18-19 overall. Lee is 8-11 in conference play. The loss drops Delta State to 16-20 on the year and 9-12 in GSC games.
The two clubs will continue the three game conference showdown tomorrow afternoon. Game one of the twin bill is slated for a 2 p.m. start.