Bryant splits with old South conference rivals
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).
BENTON — The Bryant Lady Hornets picked up their fourth win of the season by beating one old rival, then absorbed their first loss of the year against another old rival as they participated in a four-team jamboree at Tyndall Park on Saturday, March. 15.
Behind the two-hit pitching of freshman Kelly Norman, the Lady Hornets shut out the Sheridan Lady Jackets 7-0. Later, however, the Benton Lady Panthers scored twice — including a run in the bottom of the eighth inning — with the help of Bryant errors to eke out a 2-1 extra-inning win over the Lady Hornets.
Norman struck out nine and took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in the first game. Sheridan managed two singles in the seventh but couldn’t push a run home.
The Lady Hornets, meanwhile, hammered out 10 hits including a double and a triple by senior Melody Kocsis.
Bryant had gained the upper hand with a five-run outburst in the opening inning. Rachel Blakley walked and Lindsey Sullivan beat out a bunt for a single. An out later, Kalin Dreher’s bunt was misplayed to load the bases. When Jeanne Randall’s grounder to short was booted, Bryant had a 1-0 lead.
Allison Mitchem delivered an RBI single then Kocsis doubled in a pair. Lindsey Stone’s two-bagger chased in another tally.
In the third, Mitchem singled and pinch-runner Amanda Grappe advanced on a groundout by Kocsis. She swiped third and scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-0.
It stayed that way until the sixth when Kocsis belted a lead-off triple. She was out, however, trying to score on a grounder by Stone. But Stone swiped second and singles by Ashley Grappe and Blakley brought her home.
Against Benton, the Lady Hornets took a 1-0 lead in the third when Sullivan smacked a two-out single, stole second and scored on a double by Hubbard.
Benton tied it in the bottom of the fifth on a walk, an error and two singles.
Bryant had stranded a runner in the fourth. In the second, a one-out single by Stone went for naught. In the top of the eighth, Hubbard drew a one-out walk and was sacrificed to second only to be stranded.
Benton’s game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth was produced by an error, a single and a groundout.
