From meacsports.com :
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman Softball Head Coach Laura Watten registered her 700th career win Saturday afternoon as the Wildcats took down Kansas, 3-1 in the second game of the day for both teams as part of the Disney Diamond 9 Citrus Blossom Invite at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. In the opening game of the day for BCU, the Wildcats fell to St. Joseph’s by a similar 3-1 outcome.
ST. JOSEPH’S 3, BCU 1
A two-run home run in the second inning was enough to see St. Joseph’s claim a 3-1 victory over Bethune-Cookman in the opening game of day two action as part of the Disney Diamond 9 Citrus Blossom Invite at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
St. Joseph’s (3-0) used a leadoff walk from BCU sophomore pitcher Victoria Guzman to Taryn Grober, allowing first baseman Caela Abadie to register her first home run of the year with a two-run shot over the wall in left to put the Hawks on top, 2-0.
The lead stretched to 3-0 in favor of the visitor’s on the scoreboard when Abadie collected her second hit of the game to score Molly Kapala on a two-out double to left center. Abadie would finish the game 2-for-3 at the dish with a run scored and three RBIs.
Bethune-Cookman (2-6) battles back to cut into the deficit by a run in the bottom of the third.
After catcher Kayla Traylor singled to short, shortstop Jacki Smith singled to Hawks shortstop Carly Rybinski. Her throw to first was not in time, but the throw also sailed past the glove of Abadie at first. That allowed both runners to advance into scoring position.
Just one pitch later, Jacki Smith would swipe second, while Traylor would come home when pitcher Amanda Herr took her eyes off the indifference throw from catcher Sarah Ostaszewski back to the rubber, and the ball sailing out of her glove to allow the Wildcats run to score.
Bethune-Cookman would threaten again with the tying run coming to the plate in each of the fifth and seventh innings, respectfully. However, Herr would remain calm and get the outs for her team and seal the victory.
The win went to Herr (2-0) in a complete-game effort as she allowed just the one unearned run on five hits scattered, one walk and three strikeouts. The loss was accepted by Guzman (1-1) as she went the distance for the Wildcats in the circle, working in and out of a few jams throughout the game. She was tagged for three earned runs on five hits as well, three walks and a game-high five strikeouts.
Designated player Azaria Wilson, a transfer from the University of Hawai’i, led the BCU batting with a 2-for-3 showing at the plate.
BETHUNE-COOKMAN 3, KANSAS 1
It was career victory number 700 for Bethune-Cookman Head Coach Laura Watten in epic fashion on Saturday afternoon, as the Wildcats downed Kansas, 3-1 in a one-hit effort from sophomore pitcher Alexis Bermudez in the second game of the day for both teams as part of the Disney Diamond 9 Citrus Blossom Invite at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
For Laura Watten, it may have seemed like just yesterday for win number one against North Carolina A&T in 1998. Or maybe the day before yesterday for number 100 which came against Southwest Texas in 2001. Or maybe just last week for win number 600 against Jacksonville on February 13, 2005.
But this win – number 700, came against an opponent from the Big 12 Conference. It came with a one-hit effort in the pitcher’s circle from a young lady whose confidence may have been rattled with a 0-5 record entering the game. And it came in the “Happiest Place on Earth”…not far from the Daytona Beach based campus.
Nobody in the crowd talked about it. In fact, not many even knew it was happening.
It was Alexis Bermudez spinning a gem in the circle for Bethune-Cookman (3-6).
After walking a batter and hitting one by a pitch in the second inning, the 2019 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason Pitcher of the Year put the game in cruise control…until one hit escaped the field in the bottom of the seventh inning.
However, to that point, the Jayhawks (2-7) had just one runner work into scoring position the entire game – that coming by way of the walk and hit by pitch in the second frame.
With Bermudez and Kanas’ right-hander Brynn Minor locked in a pitcher’s duel heading into the fifth inning, Bethune-Cookman finally rallied the offense behind Bermudez in the top of the inning.
Azaria Wilson singled to start the at-bat for the Wildcats, while Quianah Mitchell pinch ran for the Rancho Cucamonga, California native. Yvonne Siordia executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Mitchell into scoring position at second. Three plays later, it was MEAC Rookie of the Week Kaira Cabato, seeing action for the first time on the weekend, singling to the bag at first to bring around both Mitchell and Kaiya Epps-Lee.
BCU would lead it 2-0 heading into the top-half of the seventh. That’s when the Maroon and Gold added an insurance run on the board.
After third baseman Yvonne Siordia doubled to right field, Epps-Lee tallied her second hit of the game with a RBI single through the right side to plate Carrington Robinson, who stepped in to pinch run for Siordia at second.
BCU led it 3-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh.
It was first baseman Becki Monaghan that finally broke up the Bermudez no-hit bid with one out in the frame, lifting her first home run of the year clear the wall in right field, bringing the score to the final 3-1 outcome in favor of the Wildcats.
Bermudez (1-5) picked up her first win of the year in the circle, as she went the distance with just one run on one hit – the Monaghan home run in the seventh inning, allowing just one walk and striking out five batters on the afternoon. Meanwhile, Minor (0-4) accepted the loss for the Jayhawks as she went the distance for Kansas, giving up three runs on five hits, one walk and picking up a game-high seven strikeouts.
The BCU bats were paced by five batters with a hit each, including the RBI single from Epps-Lee who would finish the game 1-for-3 at the dish. Cabato was 1-for-1 with her two RBIs as well in a pinch hit effort.
Bethune-Cookman concludes the Disney Diamond 9 Citrus Blossom Invite on Sunday with a matchup against Villanova taking place at 11:30 a.m.
