MELBOURNE, Fla. — The Montreat College softball team began its spring break trip to Florida on Monday with a pair of nonconference contests at the USSSA Space Coast Complex in Melbourne, Fla. While the Cavaliers came up short, 8-4, against the University of St. Francis Fighting Saints during the afternoon, they bounced right back to seize a 10-2 triumph over the Bloomfield College Bears in six innings. With the day one split, the Cavs moved to 9-9 overall. Meanwhile, USF and BC shifted to 9-4 and 1-1, respectively.
Despite accumulating seven hits and 10 walks, Montreat ultimately stranded 15 runners on base during its initial matchup versus St. Francis. The opening inning saw plenty of action as each team put a pair of runs on the board.
Abigail Wyatt and
Aaliyah Penalber both singled to get on base, and Wyatt scored via a wild pitch. Penalber followed by scoring on a Rachal's extra-base knock. However, the Cavaliers gave up the lead during the bottom half of the frame due to a pair of errors.
Playing as the visitors, Montreat was held scoreless in the top half of the second, but the Saints surged ahead with four runs during their next turn at the dish. Four singles, two walks and a sacrifice fly put the home team on the scoreboard in front, 6-2, through just two innings of action.
The Cavs narrowed the deficit slightly during the third frame when
Isabella Martinez, who was hit by a pitch, sprinted home thanks to
Nevaeh Rivera's one-out single. Another error in the fourth resulted in an additional unearned run, though, restoring USF's edge at 7-3.
Penalber's bases-loaded walk in the top of the fifth closed out Montreat's scoring account in game one, while an RBI single up the middle did the same for the Fighting Saints during the ensuing half inning. When the final out was recorded, St. Francis officially handed the Cavaliers an 8-4 defeat.
Mykenzie Flores started in the circle, pitching four innings and allowing seven runs, four of which were earned, on five hits. The Winslow, Ariz. native also tallied three walks and a pair of strikeouts.
Gabby Burkhart entered in relief, tossing the final two frames. The freshman gave up one run on three hits with a walk and two punchouts.
Penalber reached base safely five times behind a four-walk, one-hit performance. She also contributed a run and an RBI. Rachal delivered an RBI double and walked once as well. Rivera and
Nadilyn Eason each totaled a pair of hits and a walk, with the former also adding an RBI and a run scored.
Game two against Bloomfield started similarly for the Cavs in that they once again scored a pair of runs in the first inning. Wyatt doubled down the left field line, and Penalber's single during the very next at-bat brought her home. Rachal later walked and scored on Martinez's RBI triple to left field. Playing as the home team, Montreat extended the lead to 3-0 during the following frame.
Amariya Miller doubled to left, and pinch runner
Kayla Gibson touched home one batter later thanks to
Sarah Forbes' RBI groundout.
The Bears picked up their first hit off
Jaidyn Stephens during the top of the fourth, and they scored twice in the inning to trim the gap down to one run. However, that proved to be as close as BC got to erasing its deficit.
A five-run fifth inning saw the Cavaliers break the game wide open.
Kelsi Alberson doubled to center, Rachal walked and Eason doubled to left for the initial run. Rivera followed with a two-RBI double to center, and
Lauren Davis made it three consecutive run-producing doubles to score Rivera. Wyatt tripled to left field, driving in Davis with the squad's fifth extra-base hit of the frame. Suddenly, the Cavs' advantage ballooned from one to six (8-2).
Montreat tacked on two more runs in the sixth to walk off the Bears. A trio of free passes set the stage, with Rachal's productive out pushing the lead up to 9-2. Rivera delivered the walk-off blow a few batters later, singling to right and plating Martinez.
Stephens provided a commanding performance, hurling five innings while striking out nine batters to tie her collegiate career high. The senior surrendered just one hit, one walk and two unearned runs as she grabbed her second win of the campaign.
Olivia Bezjak contributed with a solid sixth frame in relief, allowing one hit and no runs against four batters faced.
Wyatt led the team offensively, going 3-for-4 with two triples and a double, as well as one RBI. Penalber added to the scoring with a hit and an RBI while drawing two walks in the game. Rivera was productive at the plate, driving in three runs with two hits, including a double.
The Montreat College softball team plays two more games at the USSSA Space Coast Complex tomorrow. First, the Cavaliers take on (RV) College of Coastal Georgia at 10 a.m. Then, the Cavs wrap up their day versus Cornerstone University at 12:15 p.m.
