MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The Bryant Lady Hornets split their final two games at the Southern Warrior Classic on Saturday. Early in the morning, they absorbed an 8-1 loss to the South Elgin, Ill., Storm. But they came back at noon to finish on a high note, 11-0 over the Gibbs Lady Eagles of Corryton, Tenn.
The Lady Hornets return home with an 11-4 record. They’re 2-0 in 6A-Central Conference play and will return to league action on Tuesday at home against Little Rock Central.
Bryant 11, Gibbs 0
Gianni Hulett pitched the four-hit shutout, striking out five in five innings. She also had three hits including a double. Bella Herring had three hits as well with Maddie Thompson, Alissa Suarez and Regan Dillon contributing two hits apiece.
Gibbs had two of their hits in the first inning. With one out, Megan Turner and Josie Huff each singled, the latter on a bunt. Hulett struck out clean-up hitter Breanna Bumgardner and, after both runners moved up on a passed ball, got Sadie Brantley to bounce out to Herring at second.
The Lady Hornets grabbed a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Thompson singled and scored on a triple by Suarez. Hulett’s first hit was an RBI double. After she moved to third on Meagan Chism’s grounder to the right side, she scored when Dillon lifted a sacrifice fly to center.
With the last two outs of the first, Hulett and the Bryant defense put together a run of retiring eight in a row and 14 of the last 16 Lady Eagles’ batters.
In the meantime, Bryant tacked on five runs in the bottom of the second. Aly Bowers ignited the uprising with a single to right. Christine Mefford got a sacrifice bunt down and when it was misplayed, Bowers raced to third. Mefford stole second and followed Bowers home on Thompson’s single to right.
Suarez grounded into a force at second but Hulett swatted a single, sending Suarez to third. Hulett stole second then Chism picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly to center. Dillon singled in Hulett and it was 7-0.
Herring capped off the inning with an RBI double after courtesy runner Caitlin LaCerra stole second.
In the third, Suarez lined a single to right with two out. Hulett did the same and, when the ball was misplayed in the outfield, Suarez scored and Hulett wound up at third. Chism singled to make it 10-0. Consecutive singles by Dillon and Herring made it 11-0.
Hulett pitched around a lead-off single to Huff in the top of the fourth and a base hit by Kaleigh Caldwell to start the fifth.
South Elgin 8, Bryant 1
The Storm’s Sophia Salazar held Bryant to one run on four hits, walking two and striking out two. Chism had two of the Lady Hornets’ hits. The other two were doubles by Hulett and Suarez.
Bryant committed five errors to help South Elgin as Lexi Helton took the loss in the circle for the Lady Hornets.
Casey Brennan, McKenna Eichmolz and Kaylie Humes each had two hits for the Storm who scored single runs in the first three innings. Bryant made it 3-1 in the top of the fourth. In the fifth, however, South Elgin pushed home five runs to take control of the game.
Bryant’s run in the fourth came from a double by Suarez, a groundout by Hulett that got her to third then a single by Chism.
Dillon walked, and Bowers reached on an error to load the bases with one out but Herring’s liner to left was snagged by Geneva Pollman, and Haleigh Beck’s shot to center was hauled down by Brennan.
Maddie Thompson walked in the top of the fifth and, after South Elgin’s big inning, Chism led off the sixth with a single but the Lady Hornets couldn’t muster more than that.
