Softball Swept By Brevard
MARS HILL, N.C. – The Lions softball team dropped a doubleheader to Brevard on Wednesday, April 13 at Ponder Field.
MARS HILL, N.C. – The Lions softball team dropped a doubleheader to Brevard on Wednesday, April 13 at Ponder Field. BC used the long ball to capture game one 9-6 before collecting timely hitting in game two to win 11-3. Mars Hill falls to 13-22 overall and 5-11 while Brevard improves to 17-29, 5-11.
GAME ONE
Brevard struck for an early run, putting together a pair of two-out hits mixed in with a wild pitch to take the initial advantage.
The Lions wasted no time getting that run back as Kayleigh Jonas sent a pitch deep over the center field wall to knot the score at one-all with just one out. The Blue and Gold looked poised to blow the game open, loading the bases, but could not push across any other runs as the next two batters popped up to the infield to leave the game tied after one.
BC struck for two runs in the top of the third following a long ball to left center by Kinsey Parrish. Once again the lead did not last long thanks to a two-run bomb by Erin Vickery in the bottom of the third, scoring Jonas who led the inning off with a solid knock up the middle.
The homeruns continued in the top of the fifth as the Tornado shortstop collected her second two-run shot of the game to reestablish the lead for Brevard, 5-3. The back-and-forth affair continued with the Lions striking for two runs in their half of the fifth. With the bases loaded, Ragan Broome split the gap in left center to collect a pair of RBIs and deadlock the game at 5-5.
A costly error on the Lions defense allowed Brevard to score four runs in the top of the sixth with the big blow coming from a three-run shot off the bat of Paige Atkinson. Vickery blasted her second dinger of the game in the bottom of the seventh, but that Lions would get no closer as Brevard took game one by a final of 9-6.
Shelby Culler dropped to 6-4 on the season, firing 5 2/3 innings while allowing nine runs, four earned, on nine hits and striking out four.
GAME TWO
Kayleigh Jonas led off the second game with a hot shot to short that was mishandled allowing her to reach first. Madelyn Furr drew a walk and Taylor Lail laid down an extremely beautiful bunt that got past the entire infield and allowed Lail to reach second while Jonas scored. Jamie Booze put the home team ahead 2-0 with a sacrifice fly to center.
Brevard came back in the top of the second with four runs on four hits and one error to take the lead 4-2. Jonas tallied another hit, this time a double down the left field line to score Emily Crouse to cut the deficit to a single run, 4-3 after two innings of play. A two-run homerun in the top of the third by Atkinson pushed the margin to 6-3.
The Tornado posted five runs in the top of the seventh and the Lions could not muster a comeback, falling in game two by a score 11-3.
Jamie Booze was tagged with the loss, dropping her to 0-3 on the season. Booze threw 2 1/3 innings, giving up five earned runs on six hits.
The Lions will be back in action on Saturday, April 16 as they welcome Queens to Ponder Field for a two-game set. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.