KINGSPORT, Tenn. — Bryan College wasted little time making a statement in the opening round of the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament, as the Lions pounded out 10 hits and cruised to a 9–1 mercy-rule victory over Pikeville (KY) on Monday afternoon at Kingsport.
The Lions wasted little time taking control of the game. After Pikeville grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a Kaden Dunlap RBI single, Bryan responded immediately, tying the game in the bottom half on a
Kaycee Baldwin RBI single. The Lions took the lead for good in the second inning when
Juliana Santillanes reached on a throwing error and scored
Maddie Lee, then
Lakyn Lockhart doubled home Santillanes to make it 3-1.
Bryan broke the game wide open in the fourth inning, plating five runs to push the lead to 8-1. The big blow came from
Lily Taylor, whose two-run double to left center was compounded by a throwing error, clearing the bases and effectively ending any hopes of a Pikeville comeback.
Kaycee Baldwin added an RBI single to cap the frame. Santillanes then scored on an
Ava Saul RBI single in the fifth to bring the final margin to eight.
KP Smith was outstanding in the circle, tossing a complete-game gem and improving her record to 11-11. She held the Bears to just two hits and one earned run over 74 pitches, striking out six batters along the way. Pikeville's Chloe Bryant took the loss, falling to 8-4 after giving up five runs in three innings of work.
Lockhart led Bryan's offense going 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Taylor went 2-for-2 with two doubles and two RBI. Santillanes was a constant thorn in Pikeville's side, reaching base all four plate appearances and crossing the plate three times.
Bryan improves to 27-22 overall and will advance to the next round of the AAC Tournament. They will play the winner of Johnson and Columbia International on Wednesday at 3:00 pm at Brickyard Park in Kingsport, Tenn.
For full bracket details
click here.
