BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C.— The Montreat softball team closed out its home-opening 3-game series with the Shawnee State University Bears Monday afternoon at Roxy Hines Memorial Softball Field in Black Mountain, N.C. Behind an early 2-run home run, the Bears led from start to finish, defeating the Cavaliers and dropping Montreat's record to 4-7 on the season.
Shawnee State (2-3) drew a 2-out walk in the top of the first, and it launched a 2-run homer over the left field fence on the next pitch, staking the visitors out to a 2-0 lead before the Cavs came to bat.
Leyna Gould began the home half of the second inning with a single, and
Harley McCall earned a free pass to place the first two Cavaliers on base; however, Montreat's first rally ended after a strikeout and a groundout stranded a pair of runners in scoring position.
Kendall Rubel pitched three solid innings of relief to keep Montreat in a tight contest midway through the ballgame. The freshman from Dunedin, Fla. allowed two hits but no runs across three frames, and she pitched her way out of a jam in the fourth to hold the score at 2-0.
The Bears blew the contest wide open with a 6-spot in the top of the fifth inning. Not only did the first three batters reach safely, but also three walks coupled with an error aided the Bears as they established an 8-0 lead.
Needing at least a run to keep the game going, the Cavaliers capitalized on a Shawnee State error and plated four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Four consecutive hits, including three that scored runs, quickly trimmed the Montreat deficit to 8-4.
Alyssa Hudson drove in a pair with a double to left center,
Taylor Yonke brought home a run with a triple to right center and Gould tallied an RBI single on a line drive to center.
Despite the sudden shift in momentum, SSU steadied itself and closed out an 8-4 win by sending the Cavs down in order in both the sixth and seventh innings.
The top four hitters in Montreat's batting order recorded all six of the team's hits, with Gould leading the way thanks to a 3-for-3 performance at the dish.
The Montreat softball team begins Appalachian Athletic Conference action with a doubleheader at Columbia International University on Wednesday, March 1. First pitch of game one is slated for 3:00 p.m. in Columbia, S.C.
