Harper, Beasley Fan 26 Against No. 17 Parkland

TUSCALOOSA – Sophomore right hander Mackenzie Harper and freshman right hander Karlie Beth Beasley combined for 26 strikeouts for the Shelton State Community College softball team on Tuesday afternoon.

Harper fanned a career-high 12 batters in the 4-2 loss to Parkland College in the first game of the double-header.

Beasley topped that with a career-high 14 strikeouts in the Lady Bucs 5-1 win in game two.

Shelton State (12-6) posted its fifth win of the season over a Top 25 team with the game two win.

Beasley (3-2) notched her sixth compete game of the season for the Lady Bucs. She held the Cobras to one run on three hits, with 14 strikeouts and two walks.  She also helped herself at the plate with a 2-run double in the fifth inning.

Beasley struck out two hitters in six of the seven innings and fanned nine of the 11 Cobras she faced in the game.

Sophomore centerfielder Layla Bradshaw opened the game with a single and took third on a two base error by centerfielder Ellie Lowe. Freshman right fielder Anna Valentine followed with RBI single to the Lady Bucs up 1-0.

Parkland (11-14) tied the game in the second on a solo home run by Nicole Sinks. It was her second home run of the day.

Shelton State regained the lead in the bottom of the second inning when freshman second baseman Megan Overton ripped a one-out double to center and scored on Bradshaw's RBI single to make it 2-1.

Overton walked and scored on sac fly by Valentine to push the lead to 3-1 in fourth.

Beasley laced a two-out double to right-center in the fifth to score sophomore third baseman Ty Williams and sophomore pinch-runner Jamie Hocutt to stretch the lead to 5-1.

Parkland rallied for a 4-2 win in the opener when Sinks hit a three-run home run in the top of the seventh inning.

Trailing 2-1, the Cobras got a one-out triple from Lucy Fearday to start the rally. Lainey Klokkenga was hit by pitch to put runners on the corners. Klokkenga stole second base and Sinks launched a 2-2 pitch into the Lady Bucs bullpen to give Parkland its first lead of the day.

Klokkenga reached base four times and led the Cobras with three hits in the opener.

Fearday went the distance in the circle for the win. She allowed two unearned runs on five hits, with four strikeouts and one walk.

Harper (2-3) fired her second complete game of the season and struck out a career-high 12 strikeouts in the loss. She allowed four runs and eight hits and walked five.

Shelton State opened the game with three straight singles but did not score in the first inning.

The Lady Bucs took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a sacrifice fly Williams.

The Cobras tied the game with a run in the top of the fifth inning on an RBI single by Klokkenga.

Freshman Ari Shorter scored on an error in the bottom of the fifth to give the Lady Bucs a 2-1.

Shelton State opens ACCC play this weekend against rival Wallace State Hanceville. The Bucs will play at Hanceville on Thursday, March 19 and host the Lions on Saturday, March 21 at 1 p.m.

Shelton State will hold a Softball Alumni Weekend in Tuscaloosa. The festivities will begin with an open house and dinner and the new stadium on Friday, March 20 at 5:30 p.m.  The official stadium dedication will be Saturday at 12:30 p.m. prior to the game with Hanceville.