MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – Kaitlin Alamprese and Nereyda Gutierrez each went 3-for-5 at the plate on Friday, but Bethune-Cookman was unable to pull out an opening-day win, falling to UNC Greensboro, 14-11 at Patriots Point. The game was part of the Charleston Challenge, hosted by the College of Charleston in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.
Despite falling behind 2-0 in the opening frame, Bethune-Cookman (0-1) plated five runs in the top-half of the second to claim its first lead of the game.
Shamaria Engram lined a single up the middle, followed by an advance on a wild pitch to put herself into scoring position just two batters into the frame. After Bryanna Campos walked, a pair of passed balls from UNCG (1-1) catcher Lindsay Thomas allowed Engram to register the first run of the game for the Wildcats.
Breanna Chavez stepped to the dish a batter later to score Campos on a single to right, knotting the game at 2-all.
With the bases loaded following a UNCG pitching change and a single from freshman Mariah Davis, Nereyda Gutierrez appropriately cleaned the bases with a three-run double to left center, giving B-CU the 5-2 advantage after two innings played.
The Spartans would score seven runs in the home-half of the second, as B-CU starter Sabrina Anguiano (0-1) left after a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch on UNCG left fielder Kendall McKinney. McKinney ended the game with a team-best four RBI, including the hit-by-pitch that scored designated hitter Nicole Thomas.
Neither team found the offense through the next two frames, as B-CU's Bailey Conner tossed 2 2/3 frames of relief action, spreading out two hits and allowing just a single run with four walks.
In the top of the fifth inning, B-CU junior catcher Melissa Berouty kicked things off with a single up the middle, and teammate Kaitlin Alamprese followed with a single to short, putting a runner in scoring position with no outs. Campos brought in Wanda Darby – pinch running for Berouty, on a double down the right field line. That brought the score to 9-7 in favor of the Spartans.
B-CU tied things up following back-to-back scoring singles from Davis and Sophia Ortega, chasing UNCG reliever Mackenzie Winslow from the circle after 3 1/3, giving up four runs on nine hits.
Original B-CU starter Sabrina Anguiano returned to the game in the home-half of the fifth, following a walk to Thomas, followed by a wild pitch to UNCG pinch runner Emily Lopez. The Hacienda Heights, California sophomore shut the door in the frame, keeping the game knotted at 9-9.
The Cats reclaimed the lead in the top of the sixth, using a pair of runs from Alamprese and Engram, giving B-CU an 11-9 edge heading into the bottom of the frame.
The Spartans would quickly respond with five runs on five hits and an error to earn the 14-11 victory.
Gutierrez and Alamprese finished with three hits in five trips for the Wildcats, while teammates Davis, Ortega, Berouty, Engram and Chavez tallied multi-hit games with two apiece. Gutierrez added three RBI in the loss.
UNCG was paced at the plate by Danielle Vega going 3-for-5, alongside a 3-for-4 outing from Thomas. McKinney added her four RBI to aid the Spartans scoring.
The loss was tacked to B-CU's Anguiano, with UNCG reliever Nicole Thomas collecting the win in just 2 1/3 tossed off the bench. UNCG starter Danica Bishop was chased just 1 1/3 into the game, allowing five runs on five hits and three walks.
B-CU gets back to the field later Friday evening, taking on UMass-Lowell in the day's nightcap of the Charleston Classic. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
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