Softball sweeps Montreat

SPARTANBURG, SC- 

The Lady Pioneers returned home to take on Montreat College in a weekday double header Monday afternoon. SMC won both games and improved to 16-5 overall on the season. Leah McCoy earned the win in game one while Bailey Pearson picked up the win in game two. 

GAME ONE:

SMC took a 1-0 lead in the second inning after Morgan Smith reached first on a hit by pitch and scored on Morgan Howard's rbi triple to right field. Montreat scored three runs in the top of the third inning off of starter Kaylee Freeman (5IP, 3H, 4R, 2BB, 2K). The Pioneers cut the defecit to 3-2 in the bottom half of the third inning when Mary Hart led off the inning with a single, stole second base and scored on Caroline Hill's rbi single to center. Maddie Ward doubled and scored on Hart's single in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 3-3. Montreat scored one in the fifth to take a 4-3 lead. SMC went scoreless in the fifth and sixth inning while Leah McCoy held the visitors to two hits while striking out two in two innings of relief work. Pinch hitter Leslie Altman delivered a deep home run (5) to deep left field to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh. Hart reached on a infield error moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kolby Harrison and Hill would end the game driving in Hart with a walk off single to center field. 

GAME TWO: 

SMC once again jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead after Hart (2-4) singled, stole second and scored on a error. Montreat took a 2-1 lead, scoring one in the second and third inning off Pioneer starter Eliza Long (4.1IP, 2R, 5H, 5BB, 1K). The Pioneer bats would come alive in the fifth inning, Harrison (3-4, 2R, 2B, SB) led off with a single and scored on Hill's double. Smith would drive in Hill with a double down the left field line and later score on a rbi ground out by Bailey Pearson. SMC would pick up two more runs in the sixth, Haley Powell reached on a error and scored on Harrison's rbi double. Harrison would score the final run for the Pioneers by stealing home. Pearson earned the win in relief working 2.2 innings of no hit relief while striking out three.  

NOTES: SMC is currently tied for 2nd the nation in triples (10), 8th in doubles (46), 11th in home runs (18), 15th in slugging percentage (.563), 18th in batting average (.359), and 24th in runs scored (129).