SCORE

Lee 18, Montevallo 7 (5)

RECORD

Montevallo (0-1)

Lee (2-1)

LOCATION

Softball Stadium at Orr Park (Montevallo, Alabama)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Lee defeated Montevallo 18-7 in five innings in the Falcons' season opener at Softball Stadium at Orr Park.

The Flames plated three runs in the top of the first inning to take a 3-0 lead.

Montevallo tied the game at 3-3 with three runs in the bottom half of the frame. Sophomore Kelsey Vining led off with a double to right field before scoring later in the inning on a wild pitch. Sophomore Dylan Bailey, who reached on a walk, scored on a run-scoring to center field by senior Rachael Conley. Conley came around to score later in the frame on a throwing error by the Flames.

Lee scored seven runs in the top of the second inning to take a 10-3 lead.

The Falcons plated two runs to trim the deficit to 10-5 in the bottom half of the frame. Senior Lexes Wilson, who led off the inning with a walk, and Vining, who reached on a single through the right side of the infield, both came around to score on a two-run single through the right side of the infield by sophomore Celestia Davila.

The Flames extended their lead to 13-5 with three runs in the top of the third inning before adding five more runs in the top of the fourth inning to take a 18-5 advantage.

Montevallo plated one run in the bottom of the fourth inning when freshman Sarah Federico entered the game as a pinch hitter and reached on a single to left-center field before scoring later in the frame on a run-scoring triple by Davila to trim the deficit to 18-6.

Senior Jana Kelbie Armstrong entered the circle in the top of the fifth inning and registered a pair of strikeouts while keeping the Flames off the scoreboard.

The Falcons added their final run in the bottom half of the frame when sophomore Greer Hancock led off the inning with a double to left field before scoring on a RBI single by senior Sydney Abounassar.

STAT OF THE GAME

The Falcons' pitching staff registered three strikeouts in the game while Lee pitchers accounted for just one strikeout in the circle.

BEYOND THE NUMBERS

Sophomore Celestia Davila, who finished 2-for-2 at the plate, finished one RBI shy of her career high as she drove in a team-high three runs.

Sophomore Kelsey Vining, who led the Peach Belt Conference with 34 stolen bases last year, recorded a stolen base in her first game of the 2016 season.

UP NEXT

The Falcons will return to action this weekend in the Gulf Shores Tournament in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Montevallo opens the tournament Saturday, Feb. 6 with a 10 a.m. contest against Miles College.