SAVANNAH, Ga. – Three Bethune-Cookman players hit home runs Sunday afternoon, helping power the BCU softball team to a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) series sweep of Savannah State with a 14-0 decision (five innings) in the finale at Tiger Softball Field on the campus of Savannah State University.
 
Bailey Conner, Kailey Richard and Iesha Waters all produced their first home runs of 2017 on Sunday. Thus, setting the stage for an offensive explosion throughout the weekend for the Wildcats. In fact, Bethune-Cookman scored multiple runs in each of the first four innings of Sunday's affair.
 
Bethune-Cookman (12-23, 3-0 MEAC) sent 10 players to the plate in the opening half-inning.
 
Mariah Davis would score the game's opening run off a wild pitch from Savannah State (0-24, 0-3 MEAC) starting pitcher Faith Dickerson. Moments later with the bases loaded for the Wildcats, freshman Yvonne Siordia singled through the left side to score Iesha Waters, advancing the lead to 2-0. That was followed by a walk drawn by Kailey Richard with the bases loaded to score Brianna Sanders, spawning a pitching change for the homestanding Tigers.
 
The final run of the first inning came when Annie Bakenhus drew a bases loaded walk to plate Ryan Jackson for the 4-0 BCU lead.
 
The Wildcats scored another five in the top of the second inning.
 
The scoring kicked off when Waters registered her first home run of the season in leadoff fashion with a shot to left field. Siordia later recorded her first sacrifice fly of the year, driving in Sanders for the second time in the game. Jackson would make it 7-0 in favor of the Cats when she scored off an error charged to SSU relief pitcher Amanda McDowell.
 
With the bases loaded for the third time on the day, Davis collected an RBI single to drive across junior third baseman Bryanna Campos, while freshman Jacki Smith helped score Richard moments before with a RBI single to second base.
 
Bethune-Cookman carried a 9-0 lead into the top of the third inning, before scoring two more insurance runs.
 
After Jackson reached on an error and stole second, Kailey Richard picked up her first homer of the year with a two-run shot over the left field wall to put BCU up, 11-0.
 
For the weekend, Richard finished with a team-high .625 batting average.
 
In the top-half of the fourth, senior pinch hitter/pitcher Bailey Conner notched her first round-tripper of the year with a shot clear the wall in left, scoring Waters and Davis on the play for the three run half-inning, and putting the run-rule decision into effect heading into the fifth inning.
 
The win went to senior right-hander Sabrina Anguiano, evening her record at 6-6 on the year. The Hacienda Heights, California native has won five of her last six decisions, and recorded a win in five of her last seven outings overall. She went the minimum four innings in the circle on Sunday, scattering four hits in a shutout effort, and striking out three.
 
Conner finished the game with an inning of no-hit work to preserve the shutout, and striking out two of her own.
 
The offense was paced by the efforts of Waters and Richard with two hits each – both registering home runs. Waters scored three runs, while Richard scored two and batted in three. Conner provided three RBIs, and it was Siordia driving in a pair herself.
 
After suffering a 16-game losing skid against one of the toughest schedules the team has faced in years from February 11 through March 4, the Wildcats have now rolled off wins in six of their last 10 games.
 
Bethune-Cookman visits No. 2 Florida on Wednesday at 6 p.m., in Gainesville.
 
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