Phil de Montmollin: Sports Information Director
BREVARD, N.C. - The Brevard College Softball team (2-3) split a doubleheader on a rain-soaked Friday afternoon over NC Wesleyan (2-1) at Ives-Lemel Field. The Tornados dropped the opening game 4-0, before rebounding with a 3-2 victory behind a complete game performance by freshman Ali Grace Hartman.
Hartman started game two of the doubleheader, her regular-season collegiate debut on the mound. The freshman from Lawndale, N.C delivered with an exemplary performance holding NC Wesleyan to two runs on seven hits with no walks over seven complete innings.
Offensively, the Tornados delivered three runs in game two en route to the team's first home victory of 2019. Third baseman Emily White went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. First baseman Mari Cook went 1-for-3 with an RBI-double, while right fielder Jocelyn Folkers added a hit and catcher Marissa Henson scored a run.
BC jumped ahead early as White hit a two-out single in the bottom of the first inning. Cook then doubled to right field to score White all the way from first base.
The Battling Bishops tied the game in the second inning on a solo home run by Beth Braswell. However, the Tornados would regain the lead in the bottom of the third as White scored again this time on an error by NC Wesleyan's left fielder.
BC would add what proved to be a valuable insurance run in the fourth inning as White hit an infield RBI-single that scored Henson to make the score 4-2.
NC Wesleyan hit its second solo home run of the contest, this one of the inside-the-park variety in the fifth inning to cut the lead to 4-3.
The Battling Bishops were shut out by Hartman and the Tornado defense from that point forward. Hartman would strand an NCW baserunner in the sixth, then retired the Battling Bishops 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh to close out the victory.
Game one was interrupted in the second inning with a 90-minute rain delay and NC Wesleyan leading 1-0. The Battling Bishops would add three more runs after the rain delay to secure the shutout win.
The Tornados would manage just two hits off of NC Wesleyan starter Braswell who struck out nine en route to the complete-game victory. Braswell enjoyed support from her offense which scored one run in four straight innings.
Breanna Allen (1-3) took the loss for Brevard, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits over 3.1 innings. BC's Savannah Jones relieved Allen and allowed just one unearned run and three hits over the final 3.2 innings.
Brevard returns to action on Saturday with a doubleheader vs. Methodist starting at noon ET at Ives-Lemel Field.
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