DAYTON, Tenn. — Bryan College celebrated its seniors in style on Saturday, hammering Union Commonwealth 13–5 in the opener before dropping a tight 4–3 decision in the nightcap, splitting the Senior Day doubleheader at home to move to 26–21 on the season and 16–9 in Appalachian Athletic Conference play.
Game 1: Bryan 13, Union 5
The Lions wasted no time in game one. Batting in the bottom of the first, Bryan sent nine batters to the plate and plated four runs before Union recorded an out.
Lakyn Lockhart sparked things with a single, and the flood gates opened from there.
Lily Taylor added an RBI single and
Maddie Lee followed with another to make it 2–0. A walk from
Madison Carpenter and a passed ball pushed two more across, giving Bryan a 4–0 cushion after just one frame.
Union rallied in the top of the second on a Lily Allen two-run homer to make it 4–2, and the Bulldogs briefly tied it at 5–4 in the top of the third thanks to a pair of unearned runs off Lions starter
Maddie Lee. But Bryan answered right back with an eruption in the bottom of the fourth — a seven-run inning that put the game well out of reach.
Ava Saul drove in two with a single,
Madison Carpenter ripped a two-run double, and
Brooklyn Malone and
Kaycee Baldwin each added RBI. The run-rule was called at the end of five innings with Bryan on top 13–5.
Carpenter was the offensive star of the opener, finishing 1-for-2 with three RBI.
Ava Saul went 3-for-4 with three RBI, Lockhart was 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, and Taylor contributed 2-for-3 with two RBI. Lee earned the win in the circle, going the full five innings and allowing just three earned runs on four hits while striking out four.
Game 2: Bryan 3, Union 4
The mood shifted in game two. Union jumped in front 2–0 after a first inning that saw Elizabeth Smith score on a fly ball and Skylar Smith plate another on an RBI groundout. Bryan starter
KP Smith was pulled after just 1.1 innings, having allowed three runs on three hits with two walks.
Ava Saul came on in relief and settled things down considerably, but the Lions would spend the rest of the afternoon chasing the deficit.
Bryan cut it to 3–1 after a
Lily Taylor RBI double in the first, then mounted a real threat in the fourth. Taylor doubled again to lead off, and back-to-back RBI singles from
Brooklyn Malone and
Madison Carpenter tied the game at 3–3. The momentum seemed to be squarely in Bryan's corner heading into the final three innings.
But it was not to be. Union manufactured an insurance run in the fourth on a Skylar Smith sacrifice fly after the Lions committed an error, and Bryan's lineup went quiet the rest of the way — managing just one hit over the final three innings. Saul finished with 5.2 innings of solid relief work, allowing just one earned run on two hits with three strikeouts, but the early hole proved too deep. Union pitcher Maggie Haydu went the distance, scattering four hits while walking three and striking out three to earn the complete-game win.
Bryan falls to 26–21 overall with the split. The Lady Lions have now wrapped up their regular season play and will wait to see their seeding for the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament happening in Kingsport, TN starting on April 27th.
