With a five-run outburst in the sixth inning, King’s Fork’s softball team turned a tie game into an 8-3 victory over visiting city rival Lakeland on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs batted around their order in the sixth with two-out, run-scoring doubles by Miranda Whitley and Haley Johnson as the biggest blows. KF scored four of the runs in the rally after Lakeland had two outs.

The Bulldog victory was more impressive as it came the afternoon after KF prevailed in a 14-inning contest against Deep Creek which stretched until nearly 10 p.m.

KF’s pitching ace, Lindsay Holloman, went all 14 innings on Monday night, so Whitley took over in the circle to face Lakeland. Whitley pitched a complete game, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out eight.

Even with Whitley’s good pitching, Lakeland had fought its way back into the game after falling behind 3-0 through three innings.

KF moved in front with two runs in the first inning against Lakeland starter Ashley Carroll.

Megan Blythe walked and Whitley singled to set the table for Holloman in the third spot of the KF order. Holloman drove a double to left-center field to bring Blythe around. Two hitters later, Niki Cuevas set a grounder to second which plated Whitley.

A two-out double by Cuevas in the KF third drove in Holloman for a 3-0 KF lead.

Lakeland’s comeback started in the next half-inning. Carroll reached on an error, moved to second on a wild pitch, then came around to score on Shelby Pendleton’s double into left field.

Jaclyn Wood’s sacrifice bunt moved Pendleton to third with one out. Whitley struck out the next Cavalier hitter, Chelsea Speight, but a passed ball on strike three allowed Speight to reach first and Pendleton to score.

Whitley got out of danger from there and got the first two outs in the Lakeland fifth without a problem.

Lakeland’s third and fourth hitters struck to get the tying run. Savannah Nuckols lined a double and Erika Wood followed with an RBI single.

KF’s big rally started with a leadoff single by Alaysha Mikell. Mikell stole second and scored when Wood, Lakeland’s first baseman, fielded a sacrifice bunt and threw wild to first.

Carroll got the next two KF hitters out, but the Bulldogs kept the rally going with four straight hitters reaching base.

Blythe singled for one run, Whitley’s double scored one and Johnson’s double, a drive off the fence in left-center field, scored two runs to make it 8-3.

The top third of the KF batting order, Blythe, Whitley and Holloman, had two hits and two runs each.

King’s Fork (6-4, 6-3) hosts Hickory on Friday while Lakeland (3-9, 3-7) will host Nansemond River Friday.