Loveless fires two-hit shutout in Bryant win at Gulf Coast Classic
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GULF SHORES, Miss. — Raven Loveless tossed a two-out shutout over four innings while the Bryant Lady Hornets piled up nine runs on 12 hits including Meagan Chism’s 3-for-3 day in a 9-0 victory over the Huntsville Lee Lady Generals from Alabama at the Gulf Coast Classic II on Monday.
The win came on the heels of a tight, tough battle against the Lady Pirates of Fairhope, Ala., a 3-2 loss for Bryant.
The Lady Hornets are scheduled to continue pool play on Tuesday with games against Boaz, Ala., and Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.
Bryant 9, Huntsville Lee 0
Loveless fanned seven and surrendered just two singles without a walk in the victory. Along with Chism’s three hits, Regan Ryan, Gianni Hulett and Brooklyn Trammell had two hits. Hulett’s knocks were both doubles. She drove in four.
The Lady Hornets took a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Madison Lyles instigated uprising with an infield hit. She stole second and took third on an error. Trammell’s grounder to short allowed the run to score.
With two down, Gabby Bonvillain reached on an error and Ryan beat out a bunt hit. With Henessae Shavers in to run for Bonvillain, the Lady Hornets pulled off a double steal, setting the table for Hulett who doubled both of them in to make it 3-0. Chism followed with a line-drive single to left to get the fourth run in.
Bryant put the game in run-rule territory with a five-run third. Again, Lyles was the igniter. She was plunked by a 2-2 delivery then took second on a passed ball before Trammell singled to drive her home.
With two down and Trammell at second, Ryan beat out an infield hit. She stole second then followed Trammell home on Hulett’s second double. Chism again came through with an RBI single to make it 8-0.
The inning continued with Sarah Evans getting struck by a pitch. Macey Jaramillo made it 9-0 when she lined an RBI single to left.
The Lady Generals’ lone hits came with two down in the first and with one away in the fourth.
Fairhope 3, Bryant 2
The Lady Hornets took a 2-0 lead into the fifth inning but the Lady Pirates rallied to tie in the top of the fifth and took the lead in the top of the sixth.
Bryant threatened in the bottom of each of those innings but couldn’t get the key hit that was needed. In the fifth, Loveless singled and, with one out, Ryan bunted and reached on an error as pinch-runner Joely Calhoun sprinted to third. Ryan took second without a play but a throw to third picked off Calhoun and, after Hulett walked, Chism flew out to left to end the threat.
In the sixth, with the international tiebreaker in effect, Chism was placed at second then Jaramillo worked a one-out walk but Chism was forced out at third on a grounder off the bat of Lyles. Trammell ripped a line drive but it was caught by the shortstop to end the game.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the third. Loveless cracked a one-out single then Maddie Stephens lashed a triple. Ryan made it 2-0 with an infield hit that got Stephens home.
Fairhope broke up Hulett’s bid for a shutout in the top of the fifth. A lead-off single looked like it might come to naught when the Lady Hornets retired the next two batters as the base-runner worked her way to third. But a single to center and double to right plated the tying runs.
In the top of the sixth with the runner placed at second, a sacrifice then a single put the Lady Pirates ahead.
Hulett kept it to that by getting the next three batters to pop up.
The results made the Lady Hornets 8-2 on the season.
