MARION, N.C.— Playing on a rainy Saturday at Big League Camp, the Montreat softball team once again took on the Indiana University Columbus Crimson Pride in a nonconference doubleheader. After sweeping yesterday's twin bill with a pair of run-rule victories, the Cavaliers took both ballgames on Saturday, 9-0 and 4-3. With the triumphs, Montreat improved to 7-1 this season.
Two runs in each of the initial two frames set the Cavs up for success right off the bat.
Maggie Knight and
Jasmine Rachal notched RBIs during the first inning, while
Abigail Wyatt and
Haley Fethke did the same in the second.
Game one's starting pitcher,
Rebecca Carson, helped her own cause with an RBI knock that put the hosts on top by five runs through three. The Spokane Falls Community College transfer eventually grabbed her fourth win of the year thanks to four shutout innings and five strikeouts in the circle.
Montreat put itself in position for another run-rule win thanks to a four-run fourth.
Amayia Hernandez smacked a solo shot to right center, while a wild pitch, an RBI double and an RBI single extended the Cavaliers' lead to 9-0.
Mykenzie Flores ultimately closed out the game one victory with a scoreless fifth inning.
The hosts outhit their counterparts during the opener, 11-4. Rachal,
Dayton Kell,
Hannah Henderson and Carson each tallied two knocks, while Rachal drove in a pair of runs. Wyatt scored twice in the win.
Game two proved to be a different story as the Cavs registered just two hits to the Crimson Pride's 10. Things appeared to be similar when Fethke and
Victoria Alcantar lofted sac flies in the bottom of the first, but IU Columbus (0-4) plated a trio of runs during the ensuing half inning to seize a 3-2 advantage.
Wyatt's RBI groundout leveled the score at 3-3 through three, but from there, both teams struggled to find the clutch hit that would shift momentum in their favor.
A two-out fielding error in the bottom of the sixth gave Montreat the edge it was looking for. That unearned run was the difference as Alcantar slammed the door shut for her third save of the season.
Jaidyn Stephens picked up her first win as a Cavalier by striking out the final two batters during the top of the sixth.
Carter Thornton went 5 1/3 innings with three runs allowed, two of which were earned. The Downey, Idaho native also punched out a pair of Crimson Pride batters. Offensively, Wyatt and
Hollie Cunningham recorded the home side's two hits. Hernandez walked three times and scored twice.
Montreat begins Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play on Tuesday with a pair of games at Milligan University. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. in Milligan, Tenn.
