Joseph Marvin: Assistant Sports Information Director
Photo Credit: Jeremiah Reed: The Transylvania Times
BREVARD, N.C. – The Brevard College Tornados Softball team (17-23) finished out its 2019 regular season by taking a pair of contests from the visiting Piedmont International Bruins (8-14) at Ives-Lemel Family Field on a sunny Tuesday afternoon.
Brevard hit seven extra-base hits in an 8-0 run-ruled game one victory before slugging two home runs, including a grand slam, in a 14-6 final in game two by run rule.
The Tornados close out the 2019 season with a 17-23 record overall, which is six wins higher than last season and the program's highest win total since the 2015-16 season.
GAME ONE
Micayla McCoy (10-14) dazzled in the circle in the first contest of the day. The Sylva, N.C. native went the distance of five innings, allowing only three hits while striking out a career-high 10 batters. This included a stretch where she struck out the game's first six batters.
McCoy was lethal at the plate as well, going 2-for-3 with one run scored, two RBIs, and two triples.
Sophomore Emily White enjoyed a perfect day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two triples, two runs scored, and two RBIs.
Sara Lallier hit a bases-clearing, three-RBI triple in the bottom of the second inning to help BC to its victory. Lallier went 1-for-2 at the plate with two runs scored and three RBIs alongside a walk drawn.
Mari Cook and Olivia Pauldin each recorded a double for the Tornado offense.
The Tornados began their onslaught of offense in the bottom of the first inning when White hit an RBI triple to left field, scoring Lallier and giving the home team an early lead, 1-0.
BC broke through with a big second inning, as Lallier's three-RBI triple coupled with RBI triples from both Emily White and Micayla McCoy extended the Tornado lead to a commanding 6-0 tilt.
The Tornados walked off via run rule in the bottom of the fifth inning, as McCoy hit her second RBI triple of the contest followed by Cook's RBI double, securing Brevard's 8-0 win.
GAME TWO
Breana Allen, Savannah Jones (2-1), Ali Grace Hartman, and McCoy all saw action in the circle for the Tornados in the season-finale. Jones was the pitcher of record for the game, pitching two and a third hitless innings.
All told, the Tornados recorded 13 hits to plate their 14 runs, taking advantage of four Piedmont International errors.
Lallier and Jocelyn Folkers each enjoyed 2-for-4, multi-hit performances for the Tornados.
Eleven different BC batters recorded a base hit in game two.
McCoy launched her second homer of the 2019 season in the bottom of the first inning, sending a shot to straightaway center field for a two-run homer, tying the contest up at 3-3.
Hartman slugged her first-career homer in Tuesday's season finale. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth inning and Brevard clinging to a commanding 10-3 lead, Hartman drilled the ball over the left field fence, recording her first career home run and grand slam in the same swing. Hartman's big fly pushed the Brevard lead to 14-3.
The Bruins of Piedmont International attempted to climb back within the run rule threshold, scoring three runs in the top of the fifth inning to cut Brevard's lead to 14-6.
With two outs in the top of the fifth inning, Head Coach Bob Lowe put McCoy in to pitch one last time to get the game's final out. Very fittingly, McCoy ended BC's 2019 campaign with a strikeout, sealing the doubleheader sweep and BC's 17th victory of the season in front of the lively crowd at Ives-Lemel Field.
McCoy closes out the 2019 season with a team-best 10 victories and two saves in 27 total appearances. McCoy started 24 total games for the Tornados in the circle this year, logging 138 innings pitched. The junior struck out a total of 81 batters while only allowing 21 walks, and had a 3.45 ERA in 2019.
Three BC batters (with at least 50 at-bats) finished with batting averages over .300 for the season.
White, a sophomore from Shelby, N.C., finishes the season with a .400 batting average. White posted 48 hits on 120 at-bats, scoring 25 runs while driving in 29 RBIs. White hit six doubles, seven triples, and one home run while drawing nine walks. White only struck out two times in 2019 and has only gone down three times on strikes in her two-year Tornado career.
McCoy hit for a .364 average, tallying 32 hits on 88 at-bats. McCoy scored 14 runs while driving in 23 RBIs. The junior hit five doubles, four triples, and two home runs while drawing 11 walks.
Cook, a sophomore from Beaufort, S.C., hit for a .330 average after recording 34 hits on 103 at-bats. She drew a team-best 23 walks while driving in 22 RBIs and scoring 14 runs. Cook hit five doubles, one triple, and a homer.
Freshman Jocelyn Folkers led the team in home runs (4), while sophomore Sara Lallier and freshman Lauren Dowell rounded out the outfield with high fielding percentages (.971 and .964 respectively).
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