Lee Baseball, Softball Wins Over Union

  • Saturday, April 9, 2016

 Getting solid pitching and timely hitting, the Lee University baseball team improved to 12-9 in the all-important Gulf South Conference standings and 22-14 overall with a Saturday afternoon doubleheader sweep of host Union University.
 
The final game of the three-game series is slated to get underway on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. (EDT).
 
LEE 5, UNION UNIVERSITY 0
Justin Alleman (5-3) hurled a one-hit shutout to give the Flames a 5-0 victory in the nightcap.

The junior right-hander struck out eight and walked only one Bulldog hitter in his most dominating performance of the season.
 
The Flames scored a pair of runs in the fourth inning. Ben Holland opened the frame with a double and took third on a wild pitch. He scored on an infield hit by Trent Hill. Ty Broady collected the second RBI of the inning when his single to right field plated Chris Adams.
 
The margin was stretched to 4-0 in the sixth. Pinch-hitter Miguel Pimentel banged out a one-base hit that scored Broady and Nate Wierzgac. One more insurance was added in the seventh inning when Adams doubled to right center-field to push Hill across the plate.
 
Holland and Adams each had a double and a single in the victory. Adams finished with two hits, while Kyle Briner, Broady and Pimentel were main contributors in Lee’s eight-hit attack.
 
Marty Coursey was the starting and losing pitcher for the Bulldogs. He hurled 5 2/3 of the seven-inning contest.
 
LEE 3, UNION UNIVERSITY 2
Luke Toms ripped a home run and a double, Holland had a pair of hits and lefty Art Vidrio (4-3) gave the Flames eight solid innings on the hill, helping Lee edge the Bulldogs 3-2 in the opening game of a Saturday GSC doubleheader.
 
Toms stroked a solo homer in the second inning to put the Flames up 1-0. The margin increased to 2-0 in the third. Briner and Holland walked and both runners moved up on a force out by Toms. Briner scored on a wild pitch.
 
The Bulldogs cut the lead to 2-1 in the fourth, but Lee added a badly needed insurance run in the top of the sixth when Wierzgac reached on a free pass with the sacks jammed. Tyler Payne had a key bunt single in the inning.
 
Union tallied a run in the bottom of the eighth off Vidrio. Coach Mark Brew quickly went to the pen and called on sophomore lefty Corbin Lamb. He worked Lee out of a jam in the eighth inning and came back out in the ninth to pick up his first save of the season.
 
Vidrio scattered eight hits while allowing two earned runs. He fanned 12 Union hitters and did not walk a man. Teddy Christie (3-4) was the starting and losing hurler. Andrew Wilson pitched 2 1/3 innings and Joe Hudson came on to work the ninth.

After claiming a nail-biting 9-8 extra inning victory in game one the Lee softball team dominated Union University from start to finish to claim an 11-0 run-rule victory in the nightcap on Saturday afternoon.

The red hot Lady Flames have now won six straight games and four straight Gulf South Conference contests to improve to 20-22-1 overall and 6-18-1 in league play. The Bulldogs fall to 10-35 and are just 3-23 in the GSC.

Lee will look to bottle up today's effort as it wraps up the weekend road trip with Union on Sunday with a single game beginning at 1 p.m.

GAME 2 LEE 11 UU 0 (5 innings) 
Leigh Beatenbough (7-8) allowed just one hit in four innings to get her second victory of the day and the Lee offense pounded out 14 hits en route to an 11-0 drubbing of the Bulldogs in game two.

Emily Dagnan capped off an impressive day with a RBI triple, two singles and two runs scored. Dagnan led the team with six hits on the day.

Junior centerfielder Courtney Crawford added two singles and drove in two as she continues to provide a big pop from the bottom of the lineup. Freshman Hallie Davis doubled and singled in the contest and Nia Ceasar followed with a pair of hits as every Lady Flame starter recorded at least one hit in the game.

Freshman Madyson Stallcup saw time in the circle as she worked a scoreless inning of relief to close out the contest in the bottom of the fifth.

Paige Taylor (6-18) started for the Bulldogs and lasted only 2 1/3 innings allowing six hits and five runs. Mills came on and was only able to retire one batter while yielding four runs on four hits. Madison Zablocki finished out the final 2 1/3 frames and was charged with two runs on four hits.

GAME 1 LEE 9 UU 8 (9 innings) 
Thanks to a single by Lexie Dean in the top of the ninth inning the Lee softball team held off a determined Union University club, 9-8 in nine innings in game of one of Saturday's doubleheader.

After three the game was knotted up at 5-5 but the two rivals battled scoreless from the fourth inning on until Dagnan singled home a run in the top of eighth Ceasar followed with a two-run home run to give the Lady Flames an 8-5 lead. The senior finished with three RBI.

The Bulldogs would battle back however and scored three runs of their own in the bottom of the frame to prolong the contest. Emily Bennett roped a two-run single and Reagan Schrader drew Union even once more with a run-scoring single to right center.

Beatenbough came on to work the final 1 2/3 to earn the victory for Lee. The sophomore gave up one run on a pair of hits. Angie Hughes started and threw two innings allowing four earned runs, two hits and five walks. Brianna Eichbaum relieved Hughes and worked 5 1/3 innings allowing two runs, two hits and a pair of walks.

Cummings started for Union and went four innings allowing five runs but just two were earned. Mills (0-2) tossed 4 1/3 frames of relief and was tagged with the loss allowing six hits and four runs. 

Dagnan and Amanda Lynn each had three hits. Courtney Crawford, Stevie Baird, Dean and Ceasar each had two hits.

Bennett drove in three runs and had two hits for the Bulldogs. Nelson registered the lone extra base hit for the home team with an RBI double in the third inni

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