Thanks to a pair of no-hitters and dominating offense the No. 11 Lee softball team rolled by Miles College, 11-0 and 13-2 in a doubleheader sweep at Butler Field on a spring-like Tuesday afternoon.
Senior Leigh Beatenbough started in the circle in game one and kept the Golden Bears out of the hit column surrendering just three walks while striking out six in the five inning run-rule affair.
The win moves Beatenbough to 5-1 on the year and lowered her ERA to 2.41.
"My curve ball was really working for me today and that's been a pitch that I really haven't thrown that well so far this season so that certainly helped me to get into a nice rhythm today," said Beatenbough.
While she didn't need much help Beatenbough was given plenty of run support starting with her own performance at the dish. The senior went 2 for 3 with a double and four RBI.
Brooklynn Frazier got the scoring started with an RBI single in the second inning and went 2 for 2 with two runs scored in the contest. Freshman Maddie Davenport tripled home a run in the second inning and would later score on a single from fellow first-year player Kayla Gooch. Caroline Freiling ripped a two-run pinch-hit double to cap off the scoring in the bottom of the fourth.
Magen Rich (0-8) started for the Golden Bears and surrendered 11 runs on 10 hits. She walked three and struck out one.
"We worked really hard yesterday offensively to get focused and work on hitting in pressure situations and I felt like we were confident at the plate tonight and executed well," said head coach Emily Russell. "We got wonderful pitching in both games today but I was really proud of our approach offensively and the production that we got up and down the lineup.
GAME TWO
The nightcap was more of the same as sophomore Abby McKinney followed Beatenbough's performance and delivered a no-hit victory of her own as Lee dismantled Miles, 13-2 in five innings.
McKinney (1-0) allowed just two runs, one earned in tossing the complete five innings. McKinney struck out seven and walked just one batter to earn her first win of the season.
The power-hitting lefty also doubled twice and scored two runs as the Lady Flames scored two runs in the second, 10 in the third and added one more in the fourth inning.
Taylor Moran hit her first home of the season as she opened the scoring with a monster blast to straightaway center. Moran singled home a run in the third and came back up in the same inning to provide the 10th and final run of the rally with another one-base knock.
Bailey Church launched her first home run of the season as she drilled a two-run homer in the third inning. Stevie Baird, Zoe Miller and Claudia Jones also doubled in the contest.
All totaled the Lady Flames collected 11 hits and all nine starters scored a run and eight different players drove in a run.
Chynna Gross (0-1) labored through all four innings for Miles. She was charged with eight earned runs. Lydia Rodriquez scored on a wild pitch in the fourth and Darius Watkins came home on a RBI ground out from Alexus Gonzalez.
The Lady Flames improve to 9-5 on the year and will jump back into conference play on Saturday as they welcome West Alabama to town for a three-game series. The Golden Bears slip to 0-13 on the season.
"Everything is a battle in the Gulf South so we are going to need to fight every inning and every pitch and if we do that I think we are going to be fine," concluded Russell.