The Lee University softball team began Gulf South Conference play Saturday afternoon with two wins as part of the GSC Softball Opening Weekend Festival at Lagoon Park. The Lady Flames 7-4 (2-0 GSC) opened the day with a 5-3 come-from-behind win over The University of Alabama in Huntsville and followed that with a 6-4 defeat of Christian Brothers University.
Lee continues play on Sunday with a single game against the University of Montevallo Falcons. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST.
LEE 6, CBU 4
Taylor Moran was 3-for-4 with three RBI to lead the Lee 12-hit attack.
Stevie Baird, Kayla Louie, Maddie Davenport and Lily Hatcher had two safeties each. Abby McKinney delivered a double to complete the tally.
CBU (3-7, 0-2 GSC) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the opening frame with an RBI single by Savannah Rosevear-Goe. The Lady Flames responded with two of their own in their first at bat. McKinney doubled to score Louie and scored from second on Moran’s single. Baird pushed the Lee lead to 3-1 with a run-scoring single in the second inning.
The Lady Bucs evened the score at 3-3 in the third inning with a two-run double by Abby Ferreira. Lee responded in their half of the inning with a Davenport double to bring Moran in to retake the lead. CBU’s Amber Johnson knotted the game again with an RBI single in the top of the fourth, but once again the Lady Flames responded in their half of the inning. This time Moran singled to drive in Louie and Baird to give Lee a lead they would not relinquish.
Erika Greek started and pitched 3 1/3 innings before being relieved. Greek was charged with four earned runs after five hits, five walks and two strikeouts.
Leigh Beatenbough gave up just one hit, walked three and struck out two over the final 3 2/3 innings to earn her second pitching win of the day and improve to 4-1.
LEE 5, UAH 3
The Lady Flames scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to complete the late-inning comeback in the team’s first game of the day against UAH (8-3, 0-1 GSC)
Lee tallied 12 hits in the win with Bailey Church, Zoe Miller and Kayla Gooch supplying two hits each.
McKinney led off the seventh inning with an infield single. The next two batters were retired leaving Lee down one with one out left.
Miller singled to center to push McKinney to second. Following a wild pitch that moved the runners up a base, Church delivered an RBI single to even the score. Gooch singled to center to push Miller across to give Lee a 4-3 lead.
After a pitching change, Sam Hill singled to load the bases. Baird gave the Lady Flames an insurance run, reaching on a hit by pitch, to score Church.
Macy Stovall delivered a pinch hit double to score Miller from second base in the sixth inning to draw Lee to within one run.
The Lady Flames took the early lead with a bases-loaded sacrifice bunt by Maddie Davenport to score Miller. The lead was short-lived for Lee as UAH plated three runs. One on an RBI single by Shelby Booker and the last two on a two-run single by Reagan Malone.
Malone was the leading hitter for UAH with a 3-for-4 performance. Kiara Akles, Amber Hammonds and Booker had the team’s other three hits.
Beatenbough was credited with the pitching win. She gave up three runs on four hits and struck out two. Shonna Penney scattered two hits and recorded two strikeouts in three innings of work.
Akles (2-2) was charged with the loss after giving up five runs and 11 hits. She walked three and fanned seven in 6 2/3 innings.