CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – Behtune-Cookman softball dropped a pair of games as the Wildcats wrapped-up their first weekend at the Mary Nutter Classic, falling to UC Santa Barbara (4-1) and Loyola Marymount (6-5) late Sunday (Feb. 21) afternoon, at the Big League Dreams center.
On the day, Kaitlin Alamprese finished 3-for-5 at the plate (.600), while being hit by a pitch three times.
Sophomore Mariah Davis trailed going 4-for-7 (.571) with three RBIs and rookie Annie Bankenhus added three hits on six at bats and batted two runners in.
Game One
The Wildcats played host during the 2 p.m. match-up with the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.
After a quick one hit, no run inning in the field for the Wildcats, rookie Annie Bakenhus gave B-CU its first baserunner of the afternoon after being walked.
Mariah Davis was called for stepping out of the box, before Iesha Waters used a sacrifice bunt back to the pitcher to move Bakenhus into scoring position.
Rookie Brianna Sanders grounded out to end the bottom of the first for B-CU, as the Wildcats left one stranded.
It was a one-two-three inning for B-CU in the field during the second, as Deidra Genera recorded her first strike out of the game and the Wildcat defense took care of the additional two outs.
Kaitlin Alamprese led off in the bottom of the inning using a single up the middle to reach first. Kailey Richard's hit to the pitcher allowed UCSB the chance to get the lead runner and collect an out.
Sophia Ortega singled down the right field line to push Richard to second before a Bailey Conner pop up made it two outs.
With two outs on the board for the Gauchos, Bryanna Campos singled to right field, loading the bases before UCSB made a pitching change, subbing Ashley Ludlow into the lineup replacing starting hurler Veronika Gulvin.
Back to the top for B-CU, Gulvin faced Bakenhus as her first batter, walking the Wildcat rookie and allowed Richard to stroll home.
The second inning ended with one B-CU run and three hits as the Wildcats left three stranded.
The Gauchos answered in the top of the third after Sierra Altmeyer's single to left field with runners on first and second scored her teammate from two before the Wildcats escaped the inning on a rundown.
Waters led off in the bottom of the third using a single to short to give B-CU it's only hit of the inning.
An error was costly in the fourth for the Wildcats as UCSB used the miscue to score a second run in the inning, bringing their game total to three.
Bankenhus' single up the middle in the bottom of the fourth was not enough to get the B-CU offense going as she was left on base for the second time during the contest.
It was another three-up, three down in the field for the Wildcats in the top of the fifth as UCSU held onto to its 3-1 lead midway through the game.
With two outs, Alamprese and Richard collected back-to-back singles placing the tying run on first base. An Ortega strikeout ended the inning as B-CU's left on base total rose to nine.
A leadoff double followed by a single up the middle for UCSB in the sixth pushed the lead to three, before the Wildcats entered Conner in the circle.
With no outs, Conner's three batters faced in the six were taken care of by the Wildcats' defense as B-CU trailed 4-1 after six.
The bottom of the sixth and top of the seventh went three-straight for both teams before B-CU had its final chance to chip away at the lead in the bottom of the seventh.
Davis led off for the final inning, walking, followed by a Waters single to short stop which moved Davis over into scoring position.
With two runners on, the Wildcat's attempt at a double steal nearly worked as Davis made it safely to third and Waters to second. It was the extra base Davis tried to leg out, where she was caught at the plate after the catcher and short stop threw the ball back and forth.
Sanders responded with a single to short, moving Waters to third base with one out.
After an Alamprese strikeout, Sanders was called out on second to end the game, when UCSB's shortstop was able to graze the Wildcat rookie's helmet during her steal attempt, helping the Gauchos's to a 4-1 victory.
Genera (3-3) suffered the B-CU setback, after throwing 5.0 innings, allowing seven hits, three earned runs and giving up two walks.
During Conner's seven batters face in 2.0 innings for the Wildcats, she allowed no hits and no runs, while striking out one and walking one.
Offensively, Waters and Alamprese each finished 2-for-3 at the plate, while Richard scored the loan Wildcat run.
Game Two
In similar fashion, the Wildcats opened the contest with Loyola Marymount as the home team.
It was 1-2-3 for starting B-CU pitcher, Conner, as she struck out the Lion's lead off.
Despite Davis beating out a bunt in the bottom half of the first, the Wildcats left two stranded and the score remained nonexistent heading into the second.
LMU earned one hit in the second, before leaving her on base.
The Wildcats set the tone in the bottom of the second after Ortega opened with a walk, following a bunt for a single from Richard, putting two runners on.
Bryanna Campos laid down a sac bunt of her own, moving Ortega 60 feet away from the Wildcat's first run of the evening match-up.
With one out, Bakenhus sent one hard to second base, pushing Richard to third and scoring Ortega.
Davis followed with a single to left field, scoring Richard from second and giving B-CU the 2-0 lead after a three hit, two run, three left on base inning.
In the third, LMU used a two-out rally to add two runs of their own to the scoreboard, knotting the game off of four hits.
Despite a Alamprese single to open the third, the inning ended abruptly after the Lions turned a double play.
LMU's Stephanie Crist opened the fourth with a solo homer, before B-CU head coach Laura Watten sent Sabrina Anguiano to the circle.
A second run crossed home plate in the top of the fourth, putting the Lions on top 4-2.
Campos was nailed by a pitch to lead off the bottom half of the fourth, before her roommate and fellow sophomore, Davis, scored her from third with a shot back up the middle and two outs.
As B-CU trailed 4-3, LMU collected a solo hit in the fifth, scoring none.
Sanders singled to left center before moving to second when Alamprese was hit by a pitch in teh sixth. Ortega's sac bunt advanced her teammates, while Richard's RBI ground out to short scored Sanders and knotted the score at four.
LMU's Hannah Montalban sent out a two-run homer, giving the Lions a 6-3 lead after six and a half innings.
A Bakenhus double with one out put a Wildcat in scoring positon before Davis, who owned LMU's pitcher and was a perfect 3-for-3 at that point, stepped to the plate.
The 5-0 sophomore singled to right field, scoring Bakenhus, before she was caught at second after trying to leg out the extra base on the throw.
Trailing 6-5, Genera headed to the mound for the Wildcats with one out and a runner on first.
Alamprese connected with Sanders, catching LMU's Shuster steal attempt, to make it two outs before Wanda Darby pulled down a ball in right field to end the Lion's offensive efforts.
During B-CU's last time at the plate, Sanders lined out to third, Alamprese was hit by another pitch, Ortega popped out and Richard grounded out to short, leaving the tying run stranded on first.
All three B-CU pitchers spent time in the circle during the one-run loss.
Conner (0-2) was credited with the loss after pitching three innings, allowing seven hits and four runs and striking out two batters.
Anguiano, who threw 3.1 innings, gave up five LMU hits and two runs, while fanning two Lions.
On the offense end, Davis finished a perfect 4-for-4 at the dish with three RBI's, trailed by Bakenhus' two hits on four tries and one RBI.
Behtune-Cookman returns to the diamond on Thursday, Feb. 25 as the Wildcats open weekend two at the Mary Nutter Classic facing San Jose State at 10:30 a.m., at the Big League Dreams Center in Cathedral City, California.
