ITTA BENA, Miss. – Bethune-Cookman shortstop Briana Velazquez picked up five hits across two games Sunday as Wildcats Softball took both games of a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) doubleheader away to Mississippi State at MVSU Softball Field. BCU won the first game 11-2, and then returned for a 16-1 victory in the nightcap.
 
BCU 11, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 2
Three Wildcats registered multi-hit outings Sunday afternoon as Bethune-Cookman claimed an 11-2 series-opening win over host Mississippi Valley State in the SWAC opener for both teams at MVSU Softball Field in Itta Bena, Mississippi.
 
Bethune-Cookman (3-16, 1-0 SWAC) wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, plating a pair of runs in the top of the first inning.
 
Designated player Joyce Bloome crossed first courtesy an error charged to the Mississippi Valley State (2-12, 0-1 SWAC) infield. Jessica Alaan drove across Essence Gibbs in the next at-bat with a deep sacrifice fly to left.
 
BCU made it 4-0 in the top-half of the third when Gibbs laid down a squeeze bunt to plate centerfielder Joslynn Davis, after the senior from Madera, California reached to begin the inning on an error by the Delta Devilettes infield – the second of five errors charged to MVSU throughout the contest. Alaan registered her second hit of the game with an RBI double off the wall in right, scoring Gibbs for the second of four runs the Cerritos, California junior would register on the day.
 
The lead became 5-0 for the Wildcats in the top of the fourth when shortstop Briana Velazquez cranked a double to left in order to score catcher Thais Uyema. The Lima, Peru graduate student kicked off the frame with a double of her own to left field.
 
The Delta Devilettes did get two runs back in the home-half of the fourth, using a wild pitch from BCU starter Halyne Gonzalez to bring in Hillary Victor, as well as a Taniya Partee RBI groundout to third in order to cross Jade Smith.
 
BCU led 5-2 after four innings.
 
The Cats would score three additional runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings, respectively.
 
Gibbs scored off another MVSU error in Uyema's trip to the plate. That was followed by the BCU catcher and Brooklyn Scott both scoring from another error on the MVSU infield, this one charged to Victor at short.
 
The run-rule went into effect in the sixth after Scott posted an RBI groundout that drove in Gibbs, and Uyema collected an RBI single with a hit to left to plate Alaan.
 
MVSU was led offensively by Akers with a hit.
 
Meanwhile, the BCU offense received two hits each from Gibbs, Alaan and Uyema. Alaan added two RBIs and a run.
 
The win was gathered by junior right-hander Gonzalez of BCU, as she worked six innings, allowing two runs on just one (1) hit, three walks and tallying eight strikeouts. With the win, she improves to 3-8 on the year. The loss went to Mississippi Valley's Maya Rameriez (1-3), as she gave up 11 runs (four earned) on 10 hits, one walk and a strikeout.
 
BCU 16, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 1
Shortstop Briana Velazquez was a perfect 4-for-4 batting while junior pitcher Angelina Badalament posted her first Division I win Sunday evening as Bethune-Cookman defeated Mississippi Valley State 16-1 in the second leg of a doubleheader at MVSU Softball Field in Itta Bena, Mississippi.
 
With the scored tied at 1-1 after the first inning in the books, Bethune-Cookman (4-16, 2-0 SWAC) would score in each of the final four innings of the game.
 
Briana Velazquez, a junior from San Pedro, California, tallied her first hit of the game to lead off the inning, later coming around to score off the bat of first baseman Kallie Earlington.
 
BCU made it 3-1 in the top-half of the third inning when Essence Gibbs scored courtesy a wild pitch from Mississippi Valley State (2-13, 0-2 SWAC) starting pitcher Morgan Gutierrez.
 
However, the big inning occurred in the fourth as the Wildcats put nine runs past the homestanding Delta Devilettes.
 
In the frame, Joyce Bloome scored pinch runner Kylee Sandino with her single back to the pitcher's circle. Gibbs brought across two with a double off the wall in left. And third baseman Kendall Macauley swiped home for the Fayetteville, North Carolina native's second stolen base of the year.
 
The Wildcats put the run-rule into effect in the fifth with a quartet of runs.
 
Macauley tabbed her second hit of the contest with a single to left in order to score a pair in the form of Jessica Alaan and Gibbs. Velazquez would later score on another Gutierrez wild pitch, while Macauley also scored with a Velazquez RBI single to short.
 
Mississippi Valley State had two hits in the contest – a single each from centerfielder Jade Smith and right fielder Alexa Taylor.
 
BCU used the 4-for-4 day from Velazquez, as well as a 2-for-4 effort from Macauley – also recording her second triple of the campaign. Gibbs was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and three runs scored herself. And Earlington finished up 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run as well.
 
The win was collected by starter Angelina Badalament, as the junior from Plant City, Florida worked 3.1 innings, giving up just one run in scattering two hits, three walks and collecting three strikeouts. Alyssa Lopez relieved Badalament in the circle for the final 1.2 innings, as the junior from Fontana, California had two strikeouts of her own in the circle.
 
The two teams will meet Monday at 2 p.m. ET for the series finale.
 
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