DAYTON, Tenn. — The Bryan College softball team split a doubleheader with Shawnee State on Monday, winning the nightcap 10-0 before falling 11-4 in the opener, leaving the Lions at 10-8 on the season.
Game One: Shawnee State 11, Bryan 4
The Bears jumped on Bryan early and never looked back, plating three runs in the first inning and building an 8-3 advantage through five frames to secure an 11-4 victory.
Shawnee State got strong production throughout its lineup, finishing with 16 hits. Sierra Dunnagan was a driving force, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, four runs scored and an RBI. Gabby Adams added three hits and two RBIs, while Emily Moore contributed three RBIs.
For Bryan, the game marked a rare rough outing for the Lions' usually reliable offense.
Ava Garay and
Juliana Santillanes each had two hits, with Garay driving in a run.
Madison Carpenter provided the offensive highlight, picking up a double and an RBI on a sacrifice fly. But Bryan's pitching staff struggled, with starter
Maddie Lee allowing 10 earned runs on 14 hits over six innings.
Game Two: Bryan 10, Shawnee State 0
Bryan bounced back emphatically in the second game, erupting for a run-rule victory behind a dominant performance from pitcher
KP Smith and an explosive offense.
Ava Saul was the offensive star of the nightcap, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and five RBIs.
Savanna Schaffer matched Saul's energy, contributing two hits, a home run and an RBI of her own.
Brooklyn Malone also went 3-for-4 to pace the lineup, which racked up 16 hits as a team.
Smith was virtually untouchable from the circle, spinning a complete-game shutout while scattering just four hits and walking five Shawnee State batters over six innings. The Bears managed no runs and no momentum, going down in order across much of the contest.
Bryan opened the scoring with five runs in the first inning, highlighted by a two-RBI double from Saul and an RBI fielder's choice by
Abbie Young. The Lions added to their lead in the third and then put the game away with a three-run sixth inning to trigger the run rule.
The Lady Lions will host Reinhardt University in an AAC match-up on Friday afternoon, before hitting the road to Bluefield University.
