CLEARWATER, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman Softball split a pair of games on Saturday as the Wildcats took down Northern Kentucky in their opening game, but fell short against Quinnipiac in the nightcap as part of the 2018 Under Armour Showcase at the Eddie C. Moore Complex. The event is presented by the University of South Florida.
 
BCU 8, NORTHERN KENTUCKY 2
Ryan Jackson went yard in twice on Saturday morning as Bethune-Cookman defeated Northern Kentucky, 8-2 in the Under Armour Showcase presented by USF at the Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex in Clearwater, Florida.
 
Bethune-Cookman (12-14) got on the board first in the bottom of the third inning when sophomore right fielder Ryan Jackson, the 2018 Preseason Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Year, delivered a one-out home run to left centerfield.
 
The Wildcats plated a second run to increase the margin at 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, using a Bryanna Campos single down the line in right to drive across second baseman Brianna Sanders. Sanders led off the BCU at-bat in the frame being hit by a pitch.
 
In the home-half of the fifth, BCU added to the lead when senior first baseman Iesha Waters tripled, only to be brought home a play later courtesy a Kailey Richard RBI single to shallow center.
 
Northern Kentucky (7-5) cut the lead at 3-2 with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth.
 
NKU left fielder Zahrya McFarland started the frame with a double, followed by a walk and an advancement on a ground out from the Norse batters. Pinch hitter Kara Meter's ground out to Jacki Smith at short allowed McFarland to score the first run of the game for the Norse. Toree Stalter would later score on a passed ball by BCU's Richard behind the dish.
 
However, BCU would tack on five runs in the bottom of the frame.
 
A two-run homer to right field by Jackson, her second of the game and team-leading ninth of the year, also scored Campos to put BCU on top, 5-2. An RBI single from Richard scored Mariah Davis to make it 6-2, before back-to-back runs off a wild pitch by NKU reliever Faith Howard allowed the Wildcats' Waters and pinch runner Kaiya Epps-Lee to add to the lead.
 
Sophomore hurler Mariah Estrada (3-0) picked up the win in the circle for the Maroon and Gold, while Destiny Enriquez and Victoria Guzman each saw action out of the bullpen. Estrada worked the minimum, scattering five hits and four walks with two strikeouts.
 
Waters finished a perfect 3-for-3 at the dish with two runs for the Wildcats. Jackson was 2-for-3 with her pair of round-trippers, while Richard was 2-for-4 with two runs knocked in. Campos, fresh off an injury on a liner to third in her last game against UT Martin, supplied two hits as well.
 
QUINNIPIAC 4, BCU 1
For the second time in two different Florida tournaments in 2018, Bethune-Cookman and Quinnipiac squared off on the softball field Saturday afternoon. This time it would be the Bobcats taking a 4-1 decision from BCU in the nightcap of the Under Armour Showcase presented by USF as part of the 2018 Under Armour Showcase at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Florida.
 
A Keala Cordeiro sacrifice fly to left scored leadoff batter Erin Larsen in the bottom of the first, while a Brighid Douglas RBI double in the bottom of the second allowed Quinnipiac (4-8) an early 2-0 lead.
 
Bethune-Cookman (12-15) trimmed the lead at 2-1 in the top of the fourth inning.
 
With first baseman Iesha Waters getting on via bunt single, she soon stole second and eventually worked her way to third on a throwing error by Bobcats' third baseman Rebecca Drake. The Riverside, California native came home a play later as an Alexis Bermudez ground-rule double to right center plated the run.
 
In the bottom of the frame, the Norse added two insurance runs to produce the final 4-1 score line.
 
An Erin Larsen double down the left field line advanced to the wall, allowing teammates Casey Herzog and Douglas to score.
 
The win was collected by the Norse's Herzog (3-5) as she worked a complete game, allowing just the one run on six hits, five strikeouts and no walks. Meanwhile, it was freshman pitcher Alexis Bermudez (4-5) accepting the loss for the Wildcats as she went a complete game, giving up four runs on six hits, three walks and four strikeouts.
 
Bermudez and Cheyenne Smith each had two hits to leads the Wildcats at the plate.
 
Bethune-Cookman concludes play at this year's Under Armour Showcase on Sunday when the Wildcats battle Army at 11:15 a.m. back at the Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex.