CHICKASHA, Okla.— The Montreat softball team traveled to the Sooner State on Friday for its first of four nonconference contests in and around the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Taking on the Arizona Christian University Firestorm this afternoon, the Cavaliers couldn't hold on to a four-run lead late, surrendering five runs during the final frame as they dropped the ballgame, 9-8. With the defeat, Montreat fell to 8-3 on the year.
In a back-and-forth contest that featured scoring in every inning but the fourth, it was the Cavs who struck first with a pair in the bottom of the first.
Amayia Hernandez led off the frame with a triple and came home moments later via
Abigail Wyatt's single to third.
Maggie Knight then plated Wyatt with an RBI knock to center.
Arizona Christian (4-5) utilized a solo shot in the second and a trio of two-out hits in the third to capture its first advantage of the day at 3-2; however,
Haley Fethke responded with a solo blast, her fifth homer of the campaign, during the bottom of the third to knot the score at 3-3.
Rebecca Carson notched her second 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts in the top of the fourth. The Firestorm capitalized on small ball during the fifth, though, racking up a trio of bunt singles to reclaim the lead, 4-3.
ACU's lead didn't last long. In the ensuing half inning, Montreat took advantage of a wild pitch and a pinch-hit, two-out RBI single from
Elizabeth Gergen to move back in front, 5-4.
Victoria Alcantar punched out a pair during a scoreless sixth frame, marking the third such instance for Montreat pitching on Friday. The Cavaliers then put themselves in the driver's seat with three insurance runs on Knight's RBI groundout and
Makayla Reid's two-run double to left center. Feeling good, the home team on the scoreboard needed just three more outs to close out a potential 8-4 victory.
The Firestorm had other ideas. Five runs on six hits flipped Arizona Christian's four-run deficit into a 9-8 lead in the top of the seventh. The Cavs tallied three knocks of their own during the bottom half of the inning, but a pair of outs on the base paths ended Montreat's attempt at a rally and sealed a come-from-behind 9-8 win for ACU.
Carson (4 IP), Alcantar (2 1/3 IP) and
Mykenzie Flores (2/3 IP) accounted for Montreat's seven innings inside the circle. The trio combined to strike out nine Firestorm batters.
Both teams recorded 13 hits on the day.
Amayia Hernandez led the way with a 3-for-5 showing, while Wyatt, Fethke and Alanna Hernadez each registered two knocks. Knight and Reid plated a pair. Fethke and
Amayia Hernandez each scored twice.
Montreat returns to the diamond tomorrow for a pair of matchups against Avila University and No. 18 Benedictine College. Games begin at 11 a.m. in Shawnee, Okla.
