Lenoir-Rhyne Repeats As Softball Champions

Hickory, N.C. - The No. 17 Lenoir-Rhyne College Softball Team (43-8, 10-4) swept Carson-Newman College (32-12, 8-6), 5-3 and 3-0, in a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Bears Field to win the 2007 South Atlantic Conference Regular Season Championship.

The league title was Lenoir-Rhyne's second straight, third in the last four years and fourth under eight-year mentor Shena Hollar.

The Bears also won the championship in 2000, 2004 and 2006.

Game One - Lenoir-Rhyne 5, Carson-Newman 3
Junior catcher Karie Pushard (Harrisburg, N.C./Central Cabarrus HS) connected on a two-run single in the first inning while junior outfielder Jessica Luper (Fort Mill, S.C./Fort Mill HS) added a two-run home run in the fourth frame as the Bears jumped out to a 4-0 lead and held on for the win.

Carson-Newman closed the gap to 4-3 with three runs in the fifth inning thanks to Whitney Hickam's (Rossville, Ga.) RBI double and a Lenoir-Rhyne error.

However, the Bears pushed across a much-needed run in their half of the fifth on junior centerfielder Taylor Queen's (Conover, N.C./St. Stephens HS) run-scoring hit to make it a 5-3 final.

Queen finished four-for-four in the game while Luper's home run was her seventh of the season.

Bear sophomore pitcher Casey Hanes (Richmond, Va./Douglas Freeman HS) improved to 21-6 on the year after allowing just one earned run while striking out six in going the distance.

Jessie Armstrong (Buford, Ga.) fell to 14-8 with the loss for the Lady Eagles.

Game Two - Lenoir-Rhyne 3, Carson-Newman 0
Junior Meredith O'Connor (Charlotte, N.C./Appalachian State University) pitched a three-hit shutout, her 11th of the season, as the Bears pulled off the sweep.

O'Connor's (22-2) 11 strikeouts give her 298 for the year, a Lenoir-Rhyne and South Atlantic Conference single-season record.

L-R freshman designated player Erin Gier (Asheville, N.C./A.C. Reynolds HS) broke the scoreless tie with an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth inning.

The Bears then made it 3-0 in the sixth inning with consecutive run-scoring hits by junior first baseman Leah Krohn (Taylorsville, N.C./Alexander Central HS) and senior second baseman Lindsay Dehart (Graham, N.C./Southern Alamance HS).

Krohn and freshman third baseman Lauren Johnson (Chesterfield, Va./Manchester HS) led L-R with two hits apiece.

Carson-Newman's Jessie Armstrong (14-9) suffered the loss once again.

Lenoir-Rhyne hosts Belmont Abbey in the regular season finale on Tuesday with a doubleheader beginning at 2:30 p.m. Carson-Newman travels to Misenheimer, N.C., to take on Pfeiffer Sunday in a 2 p.m., doubleheader.