The Lee softball team outscored Tennessee Temple by a 26-3 margin on its way to five straight victories and a doubleheader sweep of the Crusaders on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon at Butler Field.
The Lady Flames offense came out firing in game two scoring three times in the first, nine runs in the third and finished with six more in the fourth frame. All totaled Lee finished with 19 hits and seven extra-base hits.
The Crusaders would take a brief 2-0 advantage thanks to four first inning walks.
From there it was all Lee as Amanda Lynn stole home to start the scoring in the first. Kaylie Drew added an RBI single and then came home on a wild pitch to put the Lady Flames ahead for good, 3-2 after one. The junior finished with three RBI and two runs scored.
Temple would tie things up in the top of the third on a RBI single from Marissa Murray. Lee responded in the bottom of the inning with a nine spot and scored the final 15 runs of the contest to complete the route.
Drew, Lexie Dean and Emily Dagnan led the Lady Flames with three hits apiece. Rachel Polacek added a bases-loaded triple while NiaRaye Ceasar homered and drove in a pair. Qiley Lewis added a pair of hits and scored twice while leadoff hitter Lynn had double, single, three stolen bases and scored three runs.
Freshman Brianna Eichbaum (4-0) benefitted from the offensive explosion in the circle for the Lady Flames. She worked all five innings and allowed five hits and three runs. Eichbaum worked around six walks in the game.
Taylor Tsai provided the only extra-base hit for the Lady Crusaders as five different players recorded hits for the visitors.
Game One – LU 8, TTU 0 (6 innings)
Led by the pitching of Leigh Beatenbough and Angie Hughes the Lady Flames opened Wednesday's twin bill with an 8-0 shutout of Tennessee Temple in six innings.
Beatenbough (10-7) started and worked three innings allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out four to earn the victory. Hughes came on in relief and pitched the final three frames allowing just one hit while recording seven punch outs.
Drew paced the offensive attack with her team leading 10th home run in the third inning. Drew started the scoring off with an RBI double to left center in the first inning. Senior Dominique Hannah added two hits and scored two runs.
Lynn had two this and drove in two in the contest. Ceasar doubled and drove in a run while Holley Gray came off the bench and roped two singles in her two plate appearances.
Temple managed just four hits in the contest off of Lee's dynamic duo. Tsai, Kaleigh Riley, Cayley Shoemaker and Sloane Woodard each singled in the contest.
The Lady Flames move to 24-12 with the sweep of the Crusaders and will host Delta State this weekend in a Gulf South Conference battle. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 2 p.m. and a single game on Saturday at 2 p.m.