ALBANY, Ga.— The Montreat softball team opened its 2023 season in Albany, Ga. Saturday afternoon by squaring off against the Albany State University Golden Rams in a pair of non-conference contests. An offensive outburst carried the Cavaliers to victory in the initial contest, 10-1, before the hosts struck back to the tune of an 8-0 Golden Rams win in game two. With the doubleheader split, the Cavs started the season 1-1 overall.
Cameryn Bass opened game one with a single to left field, and a 2-base error two batters later set the Cavaliers up well to strike in the top of the first.
Alara Cashwell drove in a pair of runs with a 2-out single to right as Montreat immediately jumped in front of ASU, 2-0.
Albany State (1-1) answered back in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI single, but that proved to be its lone run of the ballgame.
Kendall Rubel earned the start inside the pitcher's circle on opening day, and the freshman delivered. In four innings of work, the Dunedin, Fla. native allowed just one run and four hits while striking out four batters for her first collegiate win.
Montreat's offense added more than enough insurance for Rubel thanks to a strong game at the dish. Bass,
Madi Scherer and
Leyna Gould each recorded an RBI knock in the second inning, which pushed the Cavs' lead out to 5-1. Then, in the top of the fourth, Gould singled in a run while Scherer scored on an error later in the frame. The Cavaliers closed out the scoring in the fifth with two productive outs: a sac fly off the bat of Scherer and a Cashwell fielder's choice. When the scoring subsided, the Cavs owned a 10-1 lead entering the bottom of the fifth.
Because the Golden Rams came up empty in the bottom half of the fifth, Montreat secured a 10-1 triumph in five innings behind the run rule.
Kyann Lyne came out of the bullpen to send Albany State down in order with a pair of strikeouts.
Bass registered three of Montreat's 10 hits in game one with her 3-for-4 performance at the plate. Gould (2-3) and
Coleena Selleck (2-3) also tallied multiple knocks, while Scherer, Gould and Cashwell all recorded multiple RBIs. Scherer,
Sarah Edge and
Keelie Mauk also notched two walks.
The Cavaliers had a harder time pushing runs across against ASU in game two despite having multiple runners on base in three of the contest's five innings. Montreat went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position in the latter half of Saturday's doubleheader.
Meanwhile, game two proved to be Albany State's chance to break out offensively. The Golden Rams scored five runs in the third frame thanks to a trio of run-producing doubles, and a sacrifice fly paired with a 2-run homer put the hosts up 8-0 entering the fifth inning.
Like ASU in game one, the Cavs failed to reach base in the fifth, dropping an 8-0 5-inning game via the run rule in the process.
Five different Cavaliers recorded a hit in game two.
Kylie Granger and Cashwell proved to be the lone Cavaliers who weren't retired during the contest thanks to their 1-for-1 showings with a walk each.
"I was excited to see our players come out swinging and play with intensity in the first game," said head coach
Heather Maston. "I'm looking forward to seeing the adjustments we make throughout the rest of this weekend and into the season."
The Montreat softball team plays another doubleheader against the Albany State University Rams tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m. in Albany, Ga.
