Lady Hornets earn two more wins at Tennessee Classic
EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the look back at each day in Bryant athletic history has been so favorably received during the time when there was no sports during the COVID-19 shutdown, BryantDaily.com will continue posting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
File photo by Rick Nation
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The Bryant Lady Hornets ran their season record to 11-0 with two more wins at the South Warrior Classic on Thursday at Riverdale High School. Gianni Hulett tossed a five-hit shutout in a 2-0 win over the host Riverdale Lady Warriors then the Lady Hornets surged past the Lady Mustangs of Mainland Regional High School of Linwood, N.J., 8-5, pounding out 12 hits including two each by Sarah Evans, Brooklyn Trammell, Meagan Chism and Bella Herring.
The victories made Bryant 3-0 in the Classic. The Lady Hornets are scheduled to play again on Friday against Siegel, Tenn., at 10 a.m., and Ardmore, Ala., at noon.
The Bryant junior varsity also won twice. Against Riverdale, they prevailed 8-0 behind the shutout pitching of Lexi Helton, who also slugged a home run. Against Wilson Central of Lebanon, Tenn., 6-1 with Alissa Suarez pitching and picking up the win.
On Friday, the JV team takes on Mainland Regional’s junior varsity at 9 a.m.
All of the hits that Riverdale managed against Hulett were singles. She struck out seven and walked three in six innings. Hulett actually had the only extra-base hit of the game, a double as part of her two hits in the game. Maddie Stephens also cracked a pair of hits.
The only runs of the game came in the bottom of the third when Hulett led off with her double. Evans beat out a bunt for a hit and stole second. With one out, Hulett tried to score on a grounder to the pitcher but was thrown out at the plate as Evans advanced to third and Raven Loveless reached first.
The Riverdale catcher tried to get doubleplay with a throw to first, but her peg was wild and both Evans and Loveless raced home.
Hulett had worked around a one-out single and a walk in the top of the second then a one-out single in the top of the third.
Riverdale threatened in the top of the fourth with a two-out single and a walk but Chism, the Bryant catcher, picked off the lead runner at second to end the inning.
In the top of the fifth, the Lady Warriors put the first two aboard with a single and a walk. But Hulett struck out two of the next three and got the batter in between on a pop up that Chism hauled down.
A lead-off single in the top of the sixth was erased by a doubleplay on a liner to Maddie Thompson at third. She threw to first to double off the runner there.
Bryant was threatening in the bottom of the sixth with a Herring single, an error on Thompson’s bunt and a hit batsman. But the time limit expired.
In the win over Mainland Regional, Loveless pitched seven innings and gave up five runs on seven hits with just three earned as Bryant committed a pair of errors. She walked one and struck out four.
The Lady Mustangs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. A lead-off double and a two-out single, which was misplayed in the outfield produced the run.
In the home second, a two-out double by Herring sparked a Bryant rally. Stephens slapped a single to left and, on a late throw to the plate, took second as Herring scored.
With the game tied, Regan Ryan beat out an infield hit sending Stephens to third. She scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-1.
Mainland regained the upper hand with a pair of runs in the top of the third. Loveless was an out away from escaping with the lead but a two-out RBI double tied it then Megan McManus drilled a two-run homer to put her team up 4-2.
The lead didn’t last long. Evans opened the bottom of the third with a single and, with one out, stole second. A passed ball sent her to third and she scored from there on a lined single to right by Loveless.
With two away, Loveless advanced to second on a wild pitch. She scored from there on Chism’s single to left, tying it 4-4.
With Chism taking second on the late throw home, Herring came through with a single to center that brought in the lead run.
Loveless retired the Lady Mustangs in order in the top of the fourth and in the top of the fifth.
The Lady Hornets added some insurance in the home fifth. Suarez and Chism each singled ahead of Herring, who sacrificed them to second and third. Suarez scored on a wild pitch and, with Chism at third, Stephens got a bunt down that was misplayed at first, allowing Chism to score.
Up 7-4, Ryan reached on an error and Hulett grounded into an unsuccessful fielder’s choice as Stephens beat the fielder to the bag at third. With the bags full, Evans bounced out to second to get the eighth run home.
In the top of the sixth, a lead-off single was erased with one out as the Lady Hornets turned an around-the-horn doubleplay.
The Lady Mustangs managed a run in the top of the second with the help of an error and a hit batsman. A double got the run home then an intentional walk loaded the bases with one out.
The next batter bunted but Suarez, charging in from third, got the ball to Chism at the plate for the force. A grounder to Herring at second provided the final out.
