MARYVILLE, Tenn. – The Brevard College softball team (7-11, 6-6 USAS) rebounded from a game one loss, pulling away late to salvage a doubleheader split on the road at Maryville College (6-18, 5-9 USAS) on Friday afternoon in Maryville, Tennessee. Brevard claimed a 7-4 victory in the second contest after falling by a final of 8-4 in game number one.
GAME ONE – MARYVILLE 8, BREVARD 4
Senior right-handed pitcher Micayla McCoy (3-4) got the ball to begin the doubleheader for the Tornados, going six innings while notching a season-high eight-strikeout total.
Four Tornados racked up multi-hit performances as Brevard accumulated 11 hits total in the contest. McCoy led the way with a 2-for-3 performance that included a double, triple, RBI, and run scored. Ali Grace Hartman, Taylor Hannah, and Emily White each logged two singles apiece, while senior outfielder Brittany Franks logged a two-RBI single in addition to a score.
Maryville's Taylor Campbell led the way offensively for the Scots, driving a pair of long balls out of the yard while accumulating four RBI's on three hits. Reid Ballard and Christina White also tallied two-hit performances, while Hannah Bruce (3-5) earned the victory with a complete-game performance that included four strikeouts.
After Jocelyn Folkers, White, and Hartman all got on base via singles in the top of the first, Franks delivered with a two-RBI single that plated Folkers and White to give Brevard the early edge, 2-0.
Maryville tied things up with a two-run homer off the bat of Campbell to center field in the bottom of the first. Both sides then traded scoreless frames in the second and third innings.
After McCoy led off the first inning with a double to left-center field and was advanced to third on a groundout, the Cullowhee, North Carolina native was plated on a throwing error that gave BC the lead back, 3-2. McCoy then delivered an RBI triple in the top of the fifth that brought Hartman around to score to give Brevard a 4-2 advantage with three innings left to play.
The Scots were able to surge forward with a four-run fifth inning that included an RBI double, single, and a pair of solo homers to give themselves a 6-4 advantage. Maryville was able to add a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth before closing the door with a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the seventh, clinching the game one win 8-4.
GAME TWO – BREVARD 7, MARYVILLE 4
Hartman (2-4) earned the second win of her senior season in the second contest, going the distance for the complete game while striking out three batters. The Lawndale, North Carolina product took a shutout into the sixth inning, as all four of the runs surrendered by her came in the later stages of the game.
Brevard topped its game one offensive output, tallying 12 hits in the second contest of the afternoon with five Tornados totaling multi-hit outings. Makenzie Rice broke out with a 2-for-4 performance that included a double and a game-high three RBI's. Hannah and White each recorded doubles, with Hannah logging two hits and two runs scored. Folkers recorded two hits, two runs, and an RBI while Franks and McCoy each slapped a pair of hits in the contest.
First-inning doubles from Hannah and White manufactured BC's first run of the ball game, as the Tornados took a 1-0 advantage that stayed put until the top of the sixth inning. Over that five-inning stretch of scoreless softball, Hartman sat down 15-of-18 batters that she faced.
Folkers led off the sixth inning with a single that was followed up with a McCoy single with two outs, placing runners on first and second base. Rice drove a ball to right-center field that scored a pair of runs, giving the Tornados extra cushion with a 3-0 lead.
Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Maryville with nobody out in the bottom half of the sixth inning. After a flyout, Brewer drew a walk that plated the Scots' first run of the ballgame. However, Hartman stepped up, forcing a strikeout and a groundout to keep the contest at a 3-1 score heading into the final inning.
BC surged for a four-run seventh inning, using four hits and three Maryville errors to extend its lead to a 7-1 margin. Folkers drove home Beth Hyatt with an RBI single that was followed by Hannah coming around on a fielding error. McCoy hit a sacrifice fly that plated Folkers before Rice hit an RBI-single that brought White in.
Maryville attempted to rally in the bottom of the seventh with a two-RBI triple and a sacrifice fly, but Hartman sealed the contest by fielding a groundout and giving the Tornados the conference victory, 7-4.
The Tornados are currently scheduled to close out their regular season on Sunday at the BC Softball Field, hosting Huntingdon College at 12 and 2 on Sunday.
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-BC-