With game two tied 3-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, Brevard’s offense strung together three-consecutive base hits as Mikayla Morgan drove home Gabby Hooper to give the Brevard College softball team (7-18, 3-11 USA South) a conference doubleheader split with Maryville College (19-15, 10-4 USAS) on Wednesday afternoon at the BC Softball Field.
Hooper led off the bottom of the seventh with a double to left field before Emily White‘s line-drive single put runners on second and third with nobody out. Morgan promptly snuck a single through the left side of the infield for the game-winner.
Brevard claimed a 4-3 victory in the second contest, while the Scots earned an 11-1 win in the first game.
GAME TWO – BREVARD 4, MARYVILLE 3
Morgan and White each propelled the Tornado offense with three hits apiece in BC’s 4-3 victory. Morgan, a junior, drove in a pair of runs while also doubling, while White hit three singles and scored a run. Senior Taylor Hannah turned in a 2-for-4 day at the plate, in addition to impressive base running with two stolen bases.
Making just her third start of the season, freshman Sara Barnes had a multi-hit performance including her first collegiate base hit – a triple to left-center field – and a single. Karley Queen also tallied a pair of base hits to round out the five Tornados with multiple hits in the ball game in Brevard’s 13-hit game.
Senior infielder/pitcher Savannah Jones (2-2) earned her second win of the season in dominant fashion, logging her second complete game of the season with seven innings pitched. Jones kept the Tornados within striking distance the entire contest, allowing just six hits and three earned runs while striking out a pair of batters.
Both sides found early offensive success, with the Scots scoring a pair of runs on three hits in the top of the first inning. Brevard answered right back, as Hannah hit a leadoff single and got on second via a wild pitch. White singled to put runners on the corners before a delayed double steal allowed Hannah to cross home plate. Morgan followed suit with an RBI double to tie things up, 2-2.
Brevard took its first lead of the afternoon in the bottom of the second inning after Barnes led off the frame with a triple. Queen immediately singled Barnes home for her first career run scored as the Tornados took a 3-2 advantage.
Maryville was able to tie the contest in the top of the third with an RBI groundout, but Jones and the Tornado defense prevented further damage in the inning.
A pitchers’ duel ensued, as both sides went scoreless through the next three innings. Maryville got a runner all the way to third base with two outs, but a line out ended the scoring opportunity.
The Tornados put together late-inning heroics, as Hooper led off the frame with a double. White hit a line-drive single and advanced to second on the throw home before Morgan sent the crowd into a frenzy with her game-winning RBI single.
GAME ONE – MARYVILLE 11, BREVARD 1
The Scots were able to take the front end of the doubleheader, scoring 11 runs on eight hits while drawing eight walks.
Brevard’s offense was held in check, with Jones scoring BC’s lone run. Morgan and Jones each logged singles, while Jones and Beth Hyatt stole bases. Jocelyn Folkers drove in Brevard’s lone run of the contest with an RBI groundout.
Maryville scored four runs in the top of the first before hanging a five-spot in the top of the third inning, making it a 9-0 margin. Jones came across to score BC’s only run in the bottom of the third, but the Scots used a pair of runs in the fifth to seal their run-rule victory in five innings.
The Tornados are back in action on Saturday at 2 and 4 p.m. for Senior Day against Wesleyan College. Senior Day festivities will begin promptly at 1:40 p.m. ahead of the scheduled 2 p.m. first-pitch time.