Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 DUNCAN, S.C.- The Lynn University softball team is off to an excellent start in 2025, picking up a pair of big wins at the Valkyrie Classic Tournament on Saturday. The Fighting Knights picked up where they left off in the first game of the day, recording a very similar 11-0 shutout against the hosting Converse Valkyries. Lynn kept the momentum rolling into the nightcap with a dominant 11-4 win over Catawba in the Fighting Knights' third appearance of the weekend.
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Lynn now sits at 3-0 on the year with the program's best start to a season since 2006.
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HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 1):
- The Fighting Knights got things rolling early as Kyra Sunga sliced a single up the middle that was cashed in by a base-knock from Teagan Riley, giving Lynn a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.
- The Blue and White loaded the bases quickly in the top of the second as Anabel O' Donnell brought in another run on an RBI single, 2-0.
- Sunga was hit by a pitch in a bases-loaded scenario, earning Lynn another run in the second before a late wild pitch brought O'Donnell home as the Fighting Knights led at the end of the frame, 4-0.
- Lynn picked up another two runs in the top of the fourth as Aun'Yale Howard and Sunga squared up singles in the frame.
- Buzzell brought in the second run of the fourth inning with a hit-by-pitch walk to build onto the Lynn cushion, 6-0.
- Back-to-back singles from Marina Goins and O'Donnell kick-started a huge fifth inning for the Fighting Knight offense, rallying for five runs on three hits.
- One of the hits in the fifth came on Lynn's first triple of the young season, courtesy of Buzzell who scored three and helped the Blue and White build an 11-0 edge by the end of the inning.
- A big double-play from the Fighting Knight defense put the Valkyries on ice, forcing the run rule to come into effect by the end of the fifth inning.
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS (GAME 1):
- Pitching newcomer Gabriella Lindsey (1-0) picked up her first win in a Lynn uniform in stunning fashion, going five total innings for a complete game shutout.
- Lindsey allowed five hits with two strikeouts and two walks.
- Lynn continued to show its speed on the basepaths with four total stolen bases in the contest.
- The Blue and White put their bodies on the line, getting hit by pitches five different times throughout the game. Two of which resulted in RBIs for both Sunga and Buzzell.
- Buzzell recorded the lone extra-base hit of the contest with her flashy triple in the top of the fifth, earning her a game-high four RBI.
- Sunga racked up three-total hits in the game while Howard, Goins and O'Donnell each tallied two.
HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 2):
- In a similar fashion to Saturday's opener, Sunga tallied the game's first hit with a bouncing single up the middle.
- Teagan Riley made some noise early, blasting a two-run homer for Lynn's first home run of the 2025 season to put the Fighting Knights up early, 2-0.
- A pair of doubles gave Catawba its first runs of the game in the bottom of the first to tie things up at 2-2.
- Lynn retook its lead almost immediately in the top of the second as an error in the outfield by the Indians cost Catawba the lead, 3-2.
- The Fighting Knights kept things rolling in the second as Sunga cracked a hard-hit double to center field to bring two runners home and give Lynn a 5-2 edge by the end of the frame.
- Catawba struck back in the bottom of the second on a sacrifice fly that cut Lynn's lead to two, 5-3.
- The Blue and White offense kept on rolling in the top of the third as O'Donnell sliced a RBI double to left-field before Dodson brought her home on a single to left field, 7-3.
- Lynn closed out the game with four more runs on a total of 16 hits in the contest.
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FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS (GAME 2)
- Sunga led the way with three hits including two doubles to bring her season total to three.
- Riley recorded the only home run of the game, for Lynn's first of the year on a two-run shot.
- Kayley Zazzali started the game while Madi Prickett went six innings and picked up the win, just giving up one run on eight hits with a staggering eight strikeouts and no walks.
- The speedy Fighting Knights tallied six stolen bases in the game including two from both Sunga and Quinn Lockhart
- Sunga, Dodson and Riley each tallied three hits in the game.
UP NEXT:
Lynn will close out the Valkyrie Classic Tournament on Sunday afternoon when it faces off with West Virginia Wesleyan once again at 12:15 p.m. before closing out the tournament against King (Tenn.) at 2:30 p.m.
