Brevard College softball (4-5) split a doubleheader vs. NCAA Division II opponent Converse (1-23) Sunday afternoon at the BC Softball Field. The Tornados won the second game of the doubleheader 9-1 in a walk-off, run-rule fashion. The Valkyries won the opening game 15-1, also via the run rule in five innings.
GAME TWO – BREVARD 9, CONVERSE 1 (6 Innings)
Third baseman Emily White went 4-for-4 with two doubles to lead an offensive outburst by the Tornados in game two of the twin bill. Leftfielder Brittany Franks went 2-for-3 with a walk. First baseman Autumn Lollis was 2-for-3, including a walk-off RBI double. Gabby Hooper went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs on a career day, while designated player Serena Rodgers-Luckey scored two runs to go along with a stolen base.
Savannah Jones (1-1) pitched six complete innings to earn her first win of the season. Jones allowed one run on just three hits with no extra-base hits allowed.
BC’s defense proved strong as well with a key double play that ended a threat in the fourth inning to go along with several spectacular individual plays.
Brevard jumped on Converse in the second inning with a big four-run frame to stake the early advantage. Franks opened the frame by out-hustling a throw for an infield single. Lollis then used a well-executed sacrifice bunt to move Franks to second. Hooper then registered her first collegiate hit. Two outs followed on fielder’s choices as the bases were loaded for Taylor Hannah who was hit-by-pitch as Hooper came in to score.
Rodgers-Luckey and Hyatt both then scored as Karley Queen put the ball in play resulting in a Converse error. White then doubled with a shot down the left-field line to score Hannah and give BC a four-run advantage.
Converse cut its deficit to three runs with a run in the top of the fifth. BC answered with three runs in the bottom of the frame beginning with a brilliantly executed suicide-bunt single by Rodgers-Luckey that scored Franks on a close play at the plate. Hooper, who had reached via her career-best second hit of the game, advanced to third on the play. After Rodgers-Luckey stole second, Hyatt put the ball in play as Hooper beat out another tag at home plate for her career-best second run scored. Rodgers-Luckey then scored by touching home to beat out the third out of the inning on a double-play ball.
Jones held Converse scoreless in the top of the sixth to set up a potential run-rule victory for the Tornados in the bottom of the frame.
White opened the sixth with a single, then scored on a Morgan triple to make the score 8-1. Following a walk by Franks and a pitching change, Lollis drilled a double to deep right field to score Morgan for the walk-off, run-rule victory.
GAME ONE – CONVERSE 15, BREVARD 1 (5 Innings)
Converse used an eight-run first inning to seize control of the first game of the doubleheader. The Valkyries added six runs in the next two innings followed by a single run in the fifth frame to take the win.
Three Valkyries – Serrah Ballard, Maggie Griffis, and Emily Ingle – all homered as Converse scored a season-high 15 runs on 12 hits en route to its first win of the year.
Griffis (1-2) earned the win for Converse, while BC used three pitchers – starter Kaitlynn Farmer (2-2), Grace Reynolds and Abby Delp.
BC’s lone run came in the bottom of the first as White drilled a double to center in her first at-bat of the afternoon. Morgan subsequently followed with an extra-base hit of her own, an RBI triple to score White.
Brevard returns to action on Saturday with a home non-conference doubleheader vs. Reinhardt with action starting at 1 p.m. at the BC Softball Field.