April 4, 2009

BREVARD, N.C. - Ashley Seawell (Asheboro, N.C.) hit two longballs and drove in eight runs, while pitchers Tiffany Farthing (Kure Beach, N.C.) and Paige Brantley (Raleigh, N.C.) shut down Brevard's offense as Mars Hill won a pair of 7-0 games on Saturday afternoon. The Lions improve to 20-14, 6-2 in the SAC. The Tornados drop to 14-14 overall and 1-7 in the SAC.

Farthing and Liz Houser (Greenville, N.C.), now 7-6, matched each other strikeout for strikeout in game one as each hurler recorded seven in the game, but Mars Hill’s offense made the difference in the game as the Lions recorded 12 hits while the Brevard offense was able to manage only one.

Mars Hill scored runs in the top of the first and the second as Seawell hit a two-out solo homerun to left field to put the Lions up 1-0. Anna James (Bellevue, Wash.) came around to score on Jenny Hoyt’s (Rose Hill, Kan.) suicide squeeze bunt down the third base line in the second inning.

Mars Hill put another run on the board in the fifth as Seawell picked up her second RBI of the game. Her seeing-eye single through the right side of the infield scored Lindsey Barrier (Salisbury, N.C.) to increase the margin to three runs.

The Lions scored four more in the sixth. Seawell and Rebekah Huff (Mars Hill, N.C.) each drove in a pair of runs with base hits up the middle to give Farthing a seven run cushion.

Farthing, now 7-2, retired the first 18 batters she faced before Beth Brooker (Fayetteville, Ga.) broke up the perfect game attempt by leading off the bottom of the seventh with a single to right field. However, she was stranded at first as Farthing retired the next three batters to end game one. Farthing also struck out seven in the game.

In game two, Jennifer Gift (Durham, N.C.), now 7-8, allowed five runs in the top of the first inning. Seawell continued her hot streak by driving an opposite field homerun over the right field fence, scoring Huff and Ashley Angell (Winston-Salem, N.C.) to put Mars Hill up 3-0. The Lions scored twice more as Jade Bullins (Danbury, N.C.) singled to left field, scoring Barrier and Ashley Harber (Goose Creek, S.C.).

Mars Hill put another run across the plate in the fourth as Seawell hit a sacrifice fly down the right field line deep enough to score Barrier.

Mars Hill added its final run in the fifth as James scored with one out on Hayley Brannon’s (Spartanburg, S.C.) infield grounder.

The offensive surge by the Lions allowed Brantley, now 6-4, to pick up the win in game two. She allowed no runs on four hits while striking out nine.

Mars Hill will host Catawba for a "Strikeout for Cancer" promotion at Ponder Park on April 7. First pitch for the doubleheader is set for 2 p.m.

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