Benton Shuts Down Montreat, Offense Explodes in Second Game

March 26, 2006
Game 1 Boxscore
Game 2 Boxscore

Black Mountain, NC -- Dani Benton posted her second shutout of the week and the Lady Cavalier offense exploded in the second game again for the softball sweep of Montreat. Benton pitched The University of Virginia's College at Wise to a 4-0 win before the bats came alive to run-rule Montreat, 14-2 in five innings to take the team's win streak to five games.

UVa-Wise moved into a tie with Tennessee Wesleyan atop the Appalachian Athletic Conference standings at 4-0. The Lady Cavs moved above .500 for the first time on the year, 12-10 overall. The Sunday visitors completed the week a perfect 5-0 week. Montreat drops to 3-15 on the year and 2-2 in the conference.

Benton continued her masterful week where she was 3-0 and posted a 0.61 earned run average. She fired a one-hitter and walked two batters while fanning five. UVa-Wise scored all the runs they would need in the top of the third. Sarah Frazier reached on a Montreat error and scored when Britney Lawson laced a triple. Benton singled in Lawson, was sacrificed to second by Shelley Newton, and later scored the third run of the frame on a two-bagger by Mary Wilson. Alicia King led off the sixth with a triple and scored the game's final tally on a ground out by Terri Ann Hill for the 4-0 score.

Lawson, Benton and Wilson all accounted for two hits in the contest of the nine-hit attack for the Lady Cavs.

UVa-Wise run-ruled its opponent in the second game of the twinbill for the second time of the week. Lawson led of the game with a walk, was sacrified to second and scored on a fielder's choice by Newton. Wilson singled Newton home for the 2-0 score. In the third, Frazier and Newton lined back-to-back doubles to start the trip at the plate. Krystal Showers hit in Newton and would later score herself on a sac fly by Ashley Addington for a 5-0 advantage.

Montreat scored its only two tallies of the day in the bottom of the third to make it 5-2.

The Lady Cavs laid on the runs in the fourth and fifth innings. In the fourth, Showers drew a bases loaded walk for the first run. King lined a single to center which was misplayed for an error to clear the bases before she came home on a Addington hit to make it 10-2. The fifth inning brought four more runs by UVa-Wise. Wilson drew a bases loaded walk, King had an rbi fielder's choice and Addington drove in her third and fourth runs with her second single for what would be the final of 14-2.

Frazier and Newton had the two extra base hits with doubles and scored three times apiece along with Showers. Addington and King drove in four and three runs on two hits each. Michelle Osborne picked up her second victory after throwing the first three innings before Benton fired two scoreless frames to finish the contest.

UVa-Wise will go on the road Tuesday for two games at Union College starting at 1:00 p.m.