DAYTON, Tenn. — The Bryan College softball team battled throughout Friday's Appalachian Athletic Conference doubleheader but came up just short in both games against receiving-votes Reinhardt University, falling 4–0 in the opener before dropping a tightly contested 7–6 decision in the nightcap.
Game 1: Reinhardt 4, Bryan 0
Reinhardt struck early in the first inning and never looked back in the first game of the day. The Eagles plated three runs in the opening frame behind RBI hits from Emily Pettit and Ansley Hight before adding another run in the sixth.
Bryan managed three hits in the contest but could not push a run across against Reinhardt pitcher Anslie Pettit, who tossed a complete-game shutout with six strikeouts. Despite the loss, pitcher
Maddie Lee turned in a solid outing for the Lions, going the distance and allowing four runs on six hits while striking out two.
Bryan threatened in the fourth inning after back-to-back singles from
Juliana Santillanes and
Lakyn Lockhart, but the Eagles were able to escape the jam and maintain their lead.
Game 2: Reinhardt 7, Bryan 6
The second game proved to be a much different story as Bryan's offense came alive in a back-and-forth battle. Reinhardt jumped out to a 2–0 lead in the first inning and extended it to 4–1 after Ansley Hight's two-run home run in the third. Bryan responded with a strong third inning of its own, scoring twice on RBI singles from
Lily Taylor and
Ava Saul to cut the deficit to one.
The Lions grabbed their first lead in the fifth inning. After an RBI play from
Kendal Mason tied the game,
Kaycee Baldwin delivered a clutch two-run double that pushed Bryan ahead 6–4.
Reinhardt answered in the sixth inning, however. Hight hit her second home run of the game before a two-run single from Emma Scott gave the Eagles the 7–6 lead.
Bryan finished with 12 hits in the loss, led by
Brooklyn Malone, who went 3-for-4 at the plate. Baldwin drove in two runs while Taylor and Saul also contributed RBIs.
Pitcher
KP Smith went all seven innings for the Lions, striking out five.
Up Next
With the pair of losses, Bryan moved to 10–10 overall and 2–2 in conference play. The Lions will look to bounce back in their next Appalachian Athletic Conference matchup at Bluefield tomorrow.
