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BRISTOL, TENN. – The Limestone College (24-16, 8-4 CC) softball team seized control of Conference Carolinas away from King University (24-24, 9-5 CC) after sweeping the Tornado at the King Softball Field on Saturday, April 12. The Saints rode junior starting pitcher Kelly Shearer's (Whitby, Ontario) dominance in the circle to finals of 4-0 and 2-1 in the doubleheader sweep.

Game One: Limestone 4, King 0
The first five innings of the opening game of the doubleheader was the definition of a pitcher's duel as Limestone starting pitcher Kelly Shearer and King starter Hannah Light were nearly flawless in a matchup of the likely finalists for the Conference Carolinas Pitcher of the Year award.

Finally, in the sixth inning, the Saints broke the scoreless draught with a decisive three-run frame.

After a groundout, senior centerfielder Amanda Hayes (Pickens, S.C.) smoked a triple to deep right centerfield to get the inning going. On pitch later, senior shortstop Ashley Cox (Mauldin, S.C.) notched single to third base and then advanced to second on the throw. Freshman second baseman Sam Thornton (Pauline, S.C.) then hit a bases-clearing triple to centerfield to plate both Hayes and Cox.

The final run of the frame came one at-bat later as freshman leftfielder Bailie Maybry (Boiling Springs, S.C.) got an RBI groundout to first base to plate Thornton and give the Blue and Gold a 3-0 advantage.

Limestone continued their offensive output in the very next inning as they tacked on an insurance run to reach the final 4-0 total.

Junior rightfielder Alycia Stiles (Harleysville, Pa.) began the inning with a base hit to right centerfield. Then after two outs, sophomore catcher Erika Hansen (Richmond, Va.) smacked a double to right center to drive Stiles in from second base.

While the Saints scored four runs, one would have sufficed as Shearer pitched an absolute gem. She pitched a complete game shutout to improve to 14-5 on the season. She scattered four hits with five strikeouts and did not issue a free pass.

 Only once did Shearer allow a base runner to reach third base as she rarely worked out of the stretch and had two perfect innings.

Light was tagged with the loss as she also went the distance while allowing all four runs on seven hits. She also had four strikeouts to no walks.


Game Two: Limestone 2, King 1 Eight Innings
Kelly Shearer's mastery over the King lineup continued in game two as again stymied their bats all game in route to a 2-1 extra innings victory.

Just as in game one, Shearer and KU starting pitcher Hannah Light were masterful in the first, five innings of the contest. In only one inning apiece did either team seriously threaten to score, but both times Shearer and Light pitched their way out of trouble.

Limestone, as in game one, broke the deadlock in the top of the sixth as Bailie Maybry led off with a single through the left side. After a pair of groundouts that moved Maybry on to third base, a fielding error by KU first baseman Amber Walker in sophomore third baseman Paige Bolding's (Boiling Springs, S.C.) at bat allowed her to score give the Saints a 1-0 lead.

King refused to be shutout by Shearer again though as they tied the game back up in the bottom part of the frame. The Tornado finally pushed a run across on centerfielder Octavia Lewis-Rand's two-out single through the right side that plated catcher Fallon Thomas.

Each team went down rather quietly in the seventh inning as the game moved into extra innings and into international tiebreaker rules.

LC began the eighth inning with Ashley Cox on second base and Sam Thornton coming to bat. Thornton executed her job of moving Cox over to third base by putting down the sac bunt. Maybry then took the suspense out of it as she launched a hit into left field and give Limestone a 2-1 lead.

Shearer then got the first two batters of the home half of the inning to pop up and groundout, in succession.

Down their final out, King's third baseman Hannah Smith notched a base hit to centerfield which sent leftfielder Stephanie Rodriguez racing home from second base. Amanda Hayes had none of it though as she gunned Rodriguez out at the plate from her centerfield position to preserve the 2-1 Saints victory.

Shearer got her second win of the evening over Light as she pitched all eight innings while only allowing the lone run on seven hits. She struck out and walked one batter each. Shearer improved to 15-5 overall and a flawless 8-0 record and .62 ERA in league play.

Light was again tagged with the loss as she gave up both runs (both unearned) on five hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Both losses dropped her to 23-16 overall with a 9-4 record in conference play.

Limestone will return to action tomorrow, Sunday, April 13 as they head down the Appalachian Mountains a little ways to Lees-McRae College (8-33, 3-9 CC) for a doubleheader. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.