FAYETTEVILLE – Former East Bladen star Kayleigh Raynor connected for a number of key hits down the stretch as her Methodist University Lady Monarchs won 3 of 5 games in the USA South Athletic Conference softball tournament before being eliminated by top seed and nationally ranked Piedmont University.
Before the tournament started, Raynor hammered a double and a triple, drove in 3 runs and scored 2 in a 15-7 win over William Peace.
In a doubleheader sweep of Mary Baldwin on the Lady Monarchs Senior Day, Raynor delivered walk-off hits to end both games as Methodist rallied in their last at-bat for 5-4 and 4-3 wins. The Elizabethtown native also doubled and finished 3-6 at the plate in the double-header.
Raynor opened the USA South Tournament by knocking in the first 2 runs in a 6-1 victory over N. C. Wesleyan. The freshman outfielder walloped a triple, scored twice and batted 3-for-4 in a 7-3 loss to Piedmont. She belted singles in wins over Covenant College (4-3) and Greensboro (1-0) to finish 6-for-18 in the tourney.
A second loss to Piedmont ended the Lady Monarchs season, but Methodist finished with a 23-21 record.
Raynor was 2nd on the team in 8 offensive categories – batting average (.313), OPS (.770), runs scored (28), runs batted in (28), hits (42), doubles (6), total bases (54) and slugging percentage (.403). She led the Lady Monarchs in triples with three.
Kayleigh, a nursing major, is the daughter of Anthony and Terri Raynor of Elizabethtown
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