Leigh Beatenbough tossed a complete game shutout in game one and drove in two runs in game two.
photo by Lee University
BRISTOL, Tenn. - The Lee softball team got quality pitching from Leigh Beatenbough and Taylor Moran as it swept past the King University Tornado on Wednesday with a 3-0 win in game one and a 9-1 run-rule victory in game two.
The Lady Flames improve to 20-9 on the year and drop King to 17-13 overall.
Lee will now prepare to host the fifth-ranked and GSC front runners, Valdosta State beginning with a Friday doubleheader at 2 p.m.
Taylor Moran (5-2) started and cruised through four innings to lead the Lady Flames past King in the nightcap. Moran gave up one run on six hits and struck out three.
Lee jumped on King starter Morgan Mathews early capitalizing on an error to score twice in the first frame. Abby McKinney scored on a throwing error before Beatenbough singled home Brooklynn Frazier.
King scored its lone run in the bottom of the first on a single by Michaela Morris.
Stevie Baird doubled, singled and drove in pair to lead the high-powered Lee offense to 11 hits and nine runs. Beatenbough followed suite as she backed up her RBI single in the first with a run-scoring double in the fourth. Annabeth Pruett also had two hits, drove in a run and scored a run in the contest.
McKinney finished off the game in the circle for the Lady Flames. She struck out a batter and did not yield a run.
Matthews (3-6) allowed seven runs (two earned) on eight hits in three innings of work. Raven Allender tossed the final two innings and gave up two runs on three hits.
Game 1 - Lee 3 King 0
Beatenbough continued her dominating stretch in the circle as she pitched the Lee Softball team to a 3-0 win over King University in game one on Wednesday afternoon.
Beatenbough improved to 10-4 on the year and lowered her ERA to 2.85 as she pitched seven shutout innings, scattering seven hits while striking out four.
McKinney got the Lady Flames on the board with an RBI groundout in the third frame scoring Kayla Louie. The freshman from Ringgold, Ga. has driven 28 runs on the year while hitting a team-best .407. Louie finished the contest with three singles.
Baird made it 2-0 Lady Flames with a RBI single up the middle scoring Pruett in the fourth inning. Lee would complete the scoring in the seventh as Frazier launched her team-leading sixth home run of the season. The freshman from Ringgold, Ga. leads the team with 29 RBI.
Emman Hughes (10-3) was the tough luck loser for the Tornado as she allowed three runs on on 11 hits. Hughes struck out five and walked a pair. Hannah Devotie had two singles to lead the King offense.