BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Campbell's softball team (20-28-1, 7-9 Atlantic
Sun) dropped both games on Senior Day to conference front leader
Lipscomb (40-10, 16-2 Atlantic Sun) on Saturday afternoon at the
Eakes Athletic Complex. The Camels fell in the first game 4-1 and
dropped the late afternoon session by a 2-0 count.
Junior Lauren Stephan (2-4) pitched well
in defeat for Campbell in the first game. She allowed just two
earned run (four total) in throwing her third complete game of the
season. Lipscomb's Whitney Kiihnl was outstanding for the Bison and
allowed just two hits and one run with eight strikeouts. Kiihnl
(27-2) came back to win the second game in relief with three
scoreless innings. Senior Brittany Stanley
(9-10)
pitched a solid game for Campbell and allowed just two runs in her
seven innings of work with five strikeouts.
The Camels' attack
threatened in the first inning of game one. Freshman Sarah Forgacs walked and was
moved over to second on junior Katie Hinton's sacrifice bunt.
A strikeout and a caught stealing at third ended the frame for
Campbell.
Lipscomb tallied two runs in the second inning. Mollie Mitchell
singled to left and moved all the way to third on Caroline Mason's
single. Kiihnl then tripled into left field over a drawn in
outfield to score both Mitchell and Mason.
CU put multiple runners
on base in their half of the second. Sophomore Taylor McGee led off the frame
with a walk. Lauren Stephan then singled into
short right field with one out. After a strikeout, both runners
moved up a base on an illegal pitch. A strikeout ended the threat
for Campbell though.
The Bison attack added a run to the lead in the fourth. Mitchell
again started the rally with a single. She moved to second on a
ground out. Kiihnl reached base on the dropped throw by the CU
first baseman. Mitchell moved all the way to third on the play. A
Lauren Dortweght ground out then scored Mitchell from third.
Lipscomb scored the game's fourth run in the fifth. Kelly Sirus
punched a one-out double to left. A ground out moved her to third.
She came in to score an unearned run on the fielding error from the
Campbell third baseman on the ball hit by Christen Campbell.
Campbell avoided the
shutout in the bottom of the seventh on Amanda Miller's second home run
of the season.
The second game was a great pitching dual with Lipscomb starter
Christen Campbell and CU's Stanley matching zero for the first four
innings.
In the fifth, CU's
offense threatened. Stephan led off the inning with a single to
left. Senior Ashton Hardison was inserted to hit
and lay down a bunt as Lipscomb changed pitchers back to Kiihnl.
The bunt was unsuccessful and ended as a pop out in the infield,
but Stephan still took second on an illegal pitch. After a
strikeout, Stephan moved to third on a pass ball. Kiihnl was able
to get out of the sticky situation with a strikeout to keep the
game scoreless.
The Bison offense loaded the bases in the sixth. Kiihnl started the
rally with a double. Dortweght then advanced her to third with a
single. A bunt single from Mackenzie Tucker loaded the bases. Abby
Keese then hit a foul ball to right field. The CU right fielder
elected to catch the ball, which allowed Kiihnl to score from third
on the sacrifice fly with the first run of the game. Both runners
on base also wisely moved up a base on the catch in foul territory.
After a strikeout, Courtney Billington singled through the left
side to score Dortweght with the second run of the game.
The Campbell offense could not muster a fight against the dominate
Kiihnl and went down in order in each of the next two innings.
The Camels continue the homestand against conference rival Belmont
on Saturday, May 1 at noon.
