Pioneer Six Game Winning Streak Snapped by NCAA DII Lane College

Pioneer Six Game Winning Streak Snapped by NCAA DII Lane College-Wil Teague, Sports Information Director, 4/2/24

*photo credits: Autumn Winston Burk*

CRC Softball hosted NCAA DII Lane College this afternoon for their second matchup of the season. CRC opened their 2024 season with two losses to the Lady Dragons on the road in Jackson, TN, and narrowly missed the season split as both games at Pioneer Park this afternoon were decided by just three runs.

8- innings

Game One: 

Crowley's Ridge- 2

Lane College- 4

Paragould, Ark.- It would take extra innings for the Lady Dragons to best the Lady Pioneers in game one, snapping their six-game winning streak and Shelby Elrod's five-game winning streak from the circle. The contest quickly turned into a pitcher's duel as each team was only able to get one run across the plate in the regulated time frame of seven innings with both teams producing one run in the fourth frame. Lane College broke the silence with a big two-out RBI triple in the top but CRC tethered the score straight away in the bottom of the fourth with a big team effort from the Lady Pioneer lineup. Elrod led off the inning with a double to down the left field line and moved sixty feet away from the plate as Maddie Reed surrendered her AB with a sacrifice bunt to the Dragons' third basemen. Thanks to Reed's selfless playstyle, the Lady Pioneers were able to tie the game as Elrod scored due to a wild pitch during Hannah Burk's at-bat two hitters later. For the remaining regulation, the teams stayed knotted up until the top of the eight where Lane College tacked on three big-time runs. Starting with a runner on second base, the Dragons quickly broke the tie with a string of three hits including a bases-clearing triple to give them the three-run lead. The Pioneers tried their best to match Lane College once more with Kourtni Jagneaux opening the bottom of the eight with a single, moving Bailey Cupples to third but CRC would only muster one run off Dru Bryant's single to right field two batters later before the Dragons collected the third out leaving CRC's game-tying run on first base. The Lady Pioneers had two runs on four hits in the eight-inning contest. Shelby Elrod, Hannah Burk, Kourtni Jagneaux, and Dru Bryant all had one hit. Elrod tossed all 8.0 innings allowing four runs on eight hits while striking out seven. 

Game Two: 

Crowley's Ridge: 3

Lane College: 4

Paragould, Ark.- In game two, CRC fans witnessed a second wave of run-for-run play style as the Lady Pioneers matched the Dragons' offensive effort until a single run in the top of the seventh gave Lane College the separation they needed to win the ball game. CRC cracked the egg by scoring one run off Hannah Burk's single to the gap in right-center in the bottom of the first. Lane College posted two runs in response in the bottom of the second by getting their first three hitters on, but thanks to a big double play turned by the awareness of the Pioneer defense after a Dragon runner didn't tag up, CRC was able to escape the inning without taking on any more water. Crowley's Ridge then tied the game in the third inning off a Piper Farmer squeeze bunt that was successful in scoring Shelby Elrod before having to play catch-up once more with Lane College taking their third lead of the game with an RBI single in the fourth. CRC summoned the Dragon-tying to run in the bottom of the fifth by abusing two Lane College fielding errors and then preceded to remain stalemated with Lane College until the top of the seventh where an RBI single gave the Dragons their fourth and final lead of the game. Maddie Reed showed hope for CRC by ripping a leadoff single in the bottom of the seventh but the senior shortstop would be left stranded on second base, 120 feet short of forcing extra innings. CRC had three runs on seven hits. Piper Farmer and Hannah Burk produced CRC's RBIs with Farmer's (1-3) 2 RBI and Burk's (1-4) RBI effort. Halea Wells narrowly took the loss going the distance for the 7.0 innings allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits. 

Up Next: CRC Softball will host Ecclesia College this Friday for a doubleheader starting at 1:00 PM at Pioneer Park. #GOPIONEERS