WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Brevard College softball team (4-8, 1-1 USAS) split a road doubleheader at Salem College (3-9, 1-1 USAS) in the USA South Conference opener for both teams on Sunday afternoon in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Salem won the first game of the doubleheader 6-3. The Tornados answered with a resounding 11-2 victory in game two of the day to ensure a split in the twin bill.
GAME TWO – BREVARD 11, SALEM 2
Brevard made an immediate statement with an early lead in the second game of the doubleheader, then went on to never trail in the entire contest.
Offensively, BC scored a season-high 11 runs on 13 hits. Senior shortstop Mikayla Morgan led the charge, after homering in game one, with a 3-for-5 performance which included two doubles. Morgan drove in three runs and scored twice to contribute to five of the 11 runs.
Freshman right fielder Jasmine Webb went 2-for-4 with her first career double and two runs scored. First baseman Valerie Sorrell produced a 2-for-4 performance with a double, one RBI and one run scored. Senior centerfielder Beth Hyatt was 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI. Senior designated player KateLynn Olive also delivered a 2-for-4 game with an RBI.
Senior catcher Serena Rodgers-Luckey also provided an RBI to go along with a stolen base. Left fielder Karley Queen swiped a game-high three stolen bases and scored two runs.
Starting pitcher Grace Reynolds earned the win, pitching a complete seven innings allowing just two runs on eight hits. Reynolds shut out the Spirits for the final six innings of the contest.
Brevard's defense was excellent in the contest as well with zero errors compared to five errors committed by the Spirits.
In the first inning, Queen and Morgan came across to score in a frame aided by a Salem error to give BC the early 2-0 advantage.
After Salem answered with two runs in bottom of the first, before the Tornados exploded with a five-run second inning. The big frame was highlighted by an RBI-double by Sorrell and RBI-singles from Morgan and Olive. Two additional runs, scored by Morgan and Hyatt, came home due to an Salem error after Rodgers-Luckey put the ball into play.
The third and fourth innings proved to be scoreless affairs before Webb hit a single that led to a run by second baseman Ivelysse Leighton.
Ahead 8-0, BC then added even more insurance with a three-run top of the seventh en route to its season-high run total. Hyatt drove in Sorrell for BC's ninth run. Then, Morgan provided the exclamation point with a two-RBI double to score Webb and Hooper.
GAME ONE – SALEM 6, BREVARD 3
Salem scored a run in the first and shut out BC through the first six innings en route to the series-opening win. The Spirits added three runs in the fifth and two in the sixth to take a 6-0 advantage heading into the final frame. Brevard attempted a comeback in the seventh inning with three runs to cut the final margin to three.
In the top of the seventh, Morgan blasted a two-run homer to left-center field that scored Hyatt. Sorrell then hit an RBI-single to score Queen for the final BC run.
Salem's Katie Gerhardt earned the complete-game win, allowing three runs on nine hits with five strikeouts.
Abby Delp was BC's starting pitcher and allowed three earned runs over 4.2 innings. Delp, facing 21 batters, did not allow a walk in her outing. Senior Lindsey Tolle pitched 1.1 innings of relief, allowing zero earned runs and just one hit.
Unlike the error-free second game, BC's defense committed three errors contributing to three unearned runs.
Brevard returns to action on Tuesday with the home conference opener vs. Meredith College. First pitch for game one of the doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the BC Softball Field.
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-BC-