BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. — The Montreat College softball team lost a pair of Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contests to the Bryan College Lions on Saturday at Roxy Hines Memorial Softball Field. After dropping a 7-3 final in game one, the Cavaliers suffered a 14-5 defeat in five innings in game two. With the results, the Cavs' record moved to 11-17 (3-11 AAC), while BC climbed to 19-15 (9-5 AAC).
Montreat started strong in the first inning, with
Lauryn Bishop tossing a 1-2-3 frame and the offense plating a pair of runs.
Nadilyn Eason and
Lauren Davis singled in the bottom half of the first, while
Abigail Wyatt walked and
Jasmine Rachal reached on a fielder's choice. With
Isabella Martinez batting, a two-out error allowed both Rachal and Davis to sprint home, vaulting the hosts out to a 2-0 advantage.
In the third inning, the Lions took the lead thanks to a three-run homer to straightaway center field. The blast flipped the visitors' 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 edge. Bryan then added an insurance run during the top of the fifth via a two-out RBI infield single.
The Cavaliers closed the gap to 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth.
Bre Speight smacked a sacrifice fly to deep right field, scoring Davis to pull Montreat within one. However, another three-run blast in the seventh created ample breathing room for BC. Eason crushed a double during the bottom half of the seventh, but the rest of the offense went down quietly. As a result, Bryan took game one by a 7-3 scoreline.
Bishop pitched a complete game, throwing all seven innings while allowing 10 hits and six earned runs. She also issued one walk and hit one batter.
Eason led the offense with three hits, including two doubles. Davis added one base knock and scored twice.
Aaliyah Penalber contributed one hit and one stolen base, demonstrating her speed and agility. Meanwhile,
Amariya Miller drew a pair of walks.
Bryan scored in every inning during game two, seizing all the momentum right away by plating five runs before the Cavs had a chance to bat. Three RBI singles and a two-run double established immediate control for the visitors. The Lions added three more in the top of the second, capitalizing on a sac fly and another two-RBI extra-base hit.
Montreat got on the board during the ensuing half inning. Wyatt singled and later scored on
Elizabeth Gergen's sac fly, closing the gap to 8-1. BC pushed across two more in the top half of the third, but the Cavaliers got those runs back during their turn at the dish thanks to Eason's solo shot to left and Wyatt's RBI single to right. Through three, the visitors maintained a 10-3 lead.
The fourth and fifth innings saw Bryan balloon its lead out to 14-3 behind a pair of runs in each frame. Needing to score at least four during the bottom of the fifth to keep the game going, Montreat almost found what it was looking for. Speight doubled home Martinez and Wyatt, slashing the deficit to 14-5. Despite the freshman's effort, the Cavs stranded runners at the corners, suffering a run-rule defeat in the process.
Mykenzie Flores started the game for the hosts, pitching 2/3 of an inning and allowing five earned runs on five hits with two walks.
Olivia Bezjak entered in relief, hurling 2 1/3 innings, giving up six earned runs on 11 hits while striking out two.
Gabby Burkhart closed out the game, pitching two frames and surrendering one earned run on three hits. She also recorded one strikeout.
Eason smoked a solo home run, while Wyatt collected three hits, two runs and an RBI. Penalber posted two hits, including a triple. Martinez also tallied two base knocks, and Speight notched a double with two RBIs.
Looking ahead, the Montreat College softball team returns to Roxy Hines Memorial Softball Field on Tuesday, March 31, for an AAC twin bill versus Spartanburg Methodist College. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 4 p.m.
