PIKEVILLE, Ky.— Montreat College's softball team went on the road to play the University of Pikeville Bears for an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) doubleheader on Friday. The Cavaliers swept the Bears with two wins after scores of 4-3 and 4-0.
Montreat (17-11, 5-5 AAC) scored right away in game one.
Maggie Knight smashed a ball deep over the fence in right field. The big blast scored
Haley Fethke. Pikeville came right back and tied up the score with a sacrifice fly and a single in the bottom half of the frame.
After three scoreless innings from both teams, Knight produced more runs after she hit an RBI double. The knock brought in Fethke for her second run of the day. Knight was also ushered home after
Dayton Kell laid down a bunt and was thrown out at first. The Cavs led the hosts, 4-2, after the fifth inning.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, UPIKE (10-13, 4-8 AAC) got a run back with a sac fly that cut the Cavalier lead in half. The Montreat defense held the hosts in place from there, and after seven innings, the Cavs held on to win, 4-3.
Rebecca Carson got the nod in the circle for the initial game. She gave up five hits and two runs. Carson struck out a batter in her start.
Jaidyn Stephens and
Victoria Alcantar came into the game to pitch as well. Each relief arm surrendered a hit. Alcantar recorded her NAIA-leading sixth save of the year in the circle.
In game two, all the runs scored in the battle were plated in the very first half inning.
Amayia Hernandez grounded out but brought
Abigail Wyatt home to score.
Jasmine Rachal singled while plating Fethke in the process. Knight and Rachal also scored in the inning from an Alcantar RBI single and a Kell sacrifice. Neither team scored for the remainder of the conference matchup as the Cavaliers won, 4-0.
Carter Thornton went the entire seven innings and shut out the Bears. Thornton gave up 10 hits, but the defense behind her helped out and handed UPIKE the goose egg.
Rachal totaled four hits on the day, leading the way for the Cavs. Fethke and Knight each had three. Wyatt and
Alanna Hernandez had two hits apiece. Knight had three RBIs on the day, all in the first game. Kell had an RBI in each game.
The Cavaliers swung for 17 hits in total. In their 54 at-bats, the Cavs had five knocks for extra bases. Two of those hits came from Knight. Montreat struck out and walked seven times in the doubleheader.
The Montreat squad will stay in Kentucky to play the Union Commonwealth University Bulldogs on Saturday. First pitch of the AAC twin bill is scheduled for 2 p.m.
