Bryant rebounds with 3 wins in Classic

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – After starting the Southern Warrior Classic with two straight losses Wednesday in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the Bryant Lady Hornets picked up a few wins on Thursday and Friday, going 3-1 in four games. Bryant shut out Lexington, Tenn.,

8-0 before holding on to an 8-7 victory over host Siegel Lady Stars on Thursday. On Friday, the Lady Hornets dropped a close one, 4-3, to South Elgin before blanking the Franklin County Rebelettes 14-0.

Bryant sophomore Kelsey Long was in the circle for Bryant’s shutout over Franklin County, throwing four shutout innings on four hits and no walks, striking out three.

Senior Abby Gentry stayed hot at the plate, going 2 for

2 with two home runs and four RBIs. Gentry also hit two homers in a loss on Wednesday.

Gentry got Bryant on the board early as she went deep twice in the top of the first frame, hitting a solo shot to get things started. Sophomore Payton Stueart walked and junior Alyson White tripled her in, while also scoring herself for the 3-0 lead. After sophomore Kloie Lovell was hit by a pitch, junior Leah Hicks hit a 2-run homer for the

5-0 lead. Sophomore Specs Easterwood squeezed in senior Emma Bonvillain, who singled, and with two runners on, Gentry hit a 3-run shot this time to make it a 9-0 lead after one.

Bryant junior Kadence Armstrong had a squeeze bunt RBI single in the second for the 10-0 lead before the Lady Hornets capped their scoring in the fourth on another Armstrong bunt single RBI, an Easterwood RBI single and Stueart’s 2-run home run for the 14-0 final.

Armstrong and Easterwood had two hits and two RBIs apiece, with Stueart, Hicks and White all adding a hit and two RBIs each.

In the 4-3 defeat to South Elgin, Gentry went 4 for 4 with a double and RBI, with Hicks and White (RBI) both going 2 for 3. Armstrong started in the circle giving up four runs (three earned)

on three hits and three walks, striking out seven in five frames. Senior Emily Miller pitched two scoreless innings, giving up two hits while striking out one.

White and Stueart both hit home runs in the 8-7 win over Siegel. Stueart’s two-out, 3-run shot in the second put Bryant up 5-2, and with the Lady Stars within 5-4, White’s solo shot to start the fourth gave the Lady Hornets some muchneeded insurance. Freshman Makalia Easterwood laid down a squeeze bunt later in the fourth for the 7-4 lead. Hicks laid down an RBI squeeze bunt in the fifth to cap the scoring and White in the circle would hold down Siegel in the end, despite giving up three runs in the final frame.

White and Specs Easterwood both went 2 for 3 with junior Kallee Nichols’ 2-run single in the bottom of the first tying things up at 2-apiece.

In the 8-0 win over Lexington, White pitched three scoreless innings, giving up one hit and a walk, striking out four for the win. Armstrong threw two scoreless and hitless innings, walking two and striking out one.

At the plate, Hicks homered again and went 2 for 2 with three RBIs, with Stueart 2 for 4 with a triple and three RBIs. Nichols also had a triple and two RBIs while going 2 for 3.

Bryant will wrap the Classic this morning at 8 a.m. vs. Shelbyville.