KINGSPORT, Tenn.— The fifth-seeded Montreat softball team battled the fourth-seeded Johnson University Royals Monday afternoon in the squad's first WinWon Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Softball Tournament contest since 2018. Squaring off at Brickyard Park in Kingsport, Tenn., the Cavaliers dropped a competitive 4-1 final score. As a result, the Cavs' record moved to 32-15 (20-8 AAC).
Johnson (26-12, 20-8 AAC) plated the game's initial run following a scoreless first inning. A leadoff solo shot to left put the designated home team in front, 1-0. That second-inning homer proved to be the first of three consecutive frames in which the Royals scored against
Victoria Alcantar.
An RBI single in the third coupled with a sacrifice fly and a passed ball in the fourth expanded Johnson's advantage to 4-0.
Haley Fethke got the Cavaliers on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth. The Leroy, Ala. native lined a single into left field, which allowed
Amayia Hernandez to sprint home. That proved to be all Montreat could muster offensively against the Royals' ace. While the Cavs had at least one baserunner on in each of the first six innings, they ultimately batted 2-for-17 (.118) with runners on base and 1-for-11 (.091) with runners in scoring position.
Alcantar hurled four frames inside the circle, surrendering six hits and four runs, three of which were earned.
Carter Thornton tossed the final two innings, allowing just one hit. Alcantar punched out four batters, while Thornton struck out one; however, Johnson racked up eight Ks and threw the game's lone 1-2-3 inning during the seventh, sealing a 4-1 victory in the process.
Dayton Kell tallied two of the squad's six hits, while
Makayla Reid drew two of the five walks.
Jasmine Rachal recorded the team's only extra-base hit, a double. Fethke notched the lone RBI for the Cavaliers, and Hernandez scored the only run.
With the defeat, Montreat plays an elimination game tomorrow against 10
th-seeded Milligan University. First pitch is slated for 11 a.m. in Kingsport, Tenn.
