MARION, N.C.— The Montreat softball team hosted the Point University Skyhawks in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) twin bill Saturday afternoon at Big League Camp in Marion, N.C. After the Skyhawks took the opener, 14-6, the visitors came back to also take an 8-5 win in extras. When the dust settled, the Cavaliers saw their record fall to 5-24 (1-11 AAC).
Point (12-14, 6-6 AAC) hit the initial longball of its six home runs in game one in the top of the first to snag the early edge on the Cavs; however, the hosts responded with a big trip to the plate in the bottom half of the frame. Montreat sent 10 batters to the dish, notched six hits and claimed a 4-1 lead thanks to a wild pitch, a 2-run single off the bat of
Samantha Browning and a
Kylie Granger RBI base knock.
The Skyhawks answered in the top of the second with a pair of runs, but
Coleena Selleck drove home a teammate during the following half-inning on a single through the right side. Through just two frames of action, the Cavaliers tallied eight hits and held a 5-3 lead on the visitors.
Home runs in the middle innings helped Point grab control of the contest. Behind a solo shot, a 2-run homer and a 3-run blast, the Skyhawks surged in front of Montreat by four runs (9-5) midway through game one.
Selleck pulled a run back in the bottom of the fourth when she lined a double into left center, trimming the Cavalier deficit to 9-6. Meanwhile,
Leah Coffing tossed Montreat's only scoreless inning in the fifth behind a flyout, a strikeout and a foul out.
Point's offense produced several insurance runs in the latter innings of action as it scored three in the sixth and two in the seventh, with both runs in the last frame coming via two solo home runs. On the other side, the Cavs went down in order across their final two trips to the plate. In the end, the Skyhawks seized the opener by a 14-6 scoreline.
Jasmine Rachal (2-4),
Cameryn Bass (2-4), Browning (3-4) and Selleck (2-4) each registered multiple hits in game one, while both Browning and Selleck each drove in a pair of runs.
In the second contest, the Skyhawks pushed a run across in the first and third innings as they moved in front of the Cavaliers, 2-0. Montreat had a few scoring opportunities with a runner in scoring position in each of the initial three frames, but the hosts went 0-for-5 with runners on during those chances. As a result, Point possessed a 2-0 lead entering the fourth.
Granger put the Cavs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth when she crushed Montreat's first home run of the season. The freshman from Frostproof, Fla. launched a rocket off the scoreboard in left field, tying the ballgame at two with the 2-run blast.
Two Cavalier throwing errors gave the Skyhawks two extra outs and a pair of baserunners in the fifth, and the visitors capitalized. After hitting six homers in game one, Point went back to the longball with a 3-run homer to left that put PU back in front, 5-2.
Bass pulled Montreat one run closer in the following half-inning, utilizing her speed to leg out a double, steal third base and score on a throwing error.
Point loaded the bases in the top of the seventh but couldn't take advantage. Moments later, Montreat made the visitors pay. With a runner on base, Browning clobbered a clutch 2-run blast over the fence in center, tying the game at five in the process.
Despite having the lead slip through its grasp, Point proved undeterred. The Skyhawks stormed back with a crooked number in the top of the eighth, plating three runs on three hits to retake the lead at 8-5.
Taylor Yonke doubled in the next half-inning, but the Cavs came up empty and fell by a trio of runs as a result.
Kyann Lyne started in the pitcher's circle for Montreat and allowed one earned run across her 6.2 innings pitched. Bass and Yonke both batted 2-for-4 in game two, while Browning and Granger notched the hosts' initial two homers of the season.
The Montreat softball team wraps up its brief 4-game homestand on Monday with an AAC doubleheader versus the Milligan University Buffaloes. First pitch of game one is slated for 2:00 p.m. in Black Mountain, N.C.
