McKENZIE, Tenn. – At the Khalden Complex, the Lindsey Wilson softball team turned in its second-highest single-game hit total of the season en route to a 5-3 victory over Bethel University.

The Blue Raiders muscled 14 hits on the day from seven different batters, six of whom recorded multiple tallies, including Kelsie Bostock with a game-high three. The junior also scored two of the local's runs as Lindsey Wilson successfully avoided the sweep and won its fifth conference game of the year.

After a scoreless first frame, the action picked up in the second when Bostock led things off with a single. Cheyenne Sandoval followed with a clean reach on an error, then Brooklynn Ott laid down a base-hit of her own to juice the bases. Over the next two at-bats, Brylee Pickerell and Madyson Jones each pushed home a run to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.

Bethel answered back in the bottom half of the inning, however, to knot the game at 2-2, but Blue Raider starter Abigail Cruz locked in to allow just one Wildcat hit across the next three innings.

During that span, the locals found a groove offensively that eventually propelled them back in front. In the top leg of the fourth frame, Pickerell got herself into scoring position quickly with a lead-off double. Two batters later, Za'Kiya Sizemore dropped a well-executed sacrifice groundout to plate Pickerell and put the Blue Raiders ahead, 3-2.

Alexis Garayzar doubled the road team's advantage in the top of the sixth inning with a sacrifice flyout to right field to score Natalie Shaw, but the 'Cats stuck around to trim it back down to a one-run affair in the subsequent half-inning.

Lindsey Wilson made some much-needed noise in its last plate appearance, courtesy of an RBI-single by Ott to bring across Bostock and restore the Blue Raiders' two-run lead for good.

Reliever Grace Adams made sure of that fact with back-to-back strikeouts in the bottom of the seventh to seal the deal.

The freshman ended up going 1.2 innings to close out the game, allowing just one hit and zero runs. Cruz collected the win in the circle after firing 5.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits and punching out one Wildcat on strikes.