DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman Softball split a pair of Saturday games as part of a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) doubleheader with Alabama State at Sunnyland Park. The Wildcats registered a 7-1 win in the opener, while the Hornets took the nightcap, 6-4. With the opening win, BCU won the series.
 
BCU 7, ALABAMA STATE 1
Thais Uyema had two hits and two RBIs Saturday morning in helping Bethune-Cookman to a 7-1 win in the first game of a doubleheader against Alabama State at Sunnyland Park in Daytona Beach, Florida.
 
Bethune-Cookman (7-18, 5-0 SWAC) plated two runs in the home-half of the second inning to take the early lead.
 
Brooklyn Scott led off the Wildcats at-bat with a double, allowing Kallie Earlington to drive her in two batters later with a double of her own to left center. A Briana Velazquez single to left would bring around Earlington for the second score of the frame.
 
Thais Uyema tallied the first of her two hits in the game in the bottom of the third as she drove a ball to shallow left that was enough to push across Joyce Bloome and advance the Wildcats lead at 3-0.
 
The Cats added two insurance runs in the fifth when Scott doubled and later scored off the end of an Uyema single past Hornets third baseman Mickey Coslor to make it 4-0. The lead became five with a throwing error charged to the Hornets infield, thus bringing around Uyema for the run.
 
In the BCU at-bat in the seventh, the bases were loaded for pinch hitter Ciera Clark when she was hit by a pitch in scoring Velazquez on the play. Jessica Allan followed with a single to short that plated Joslynn Davis for the 7-0 BCU advantage.
 
Alabama State (11-16, 1-4 SWAC) scored its lone run of the game in the top of the seventh inning as pinch hitter Leah Richardson singled up the middle to score Jaeda Gardner from third, after the Hornets second baseman singled in her at-bat earlier in the inning.
 
Angelina Badalament (2-6) earned the win in the circle for the Wildcats, as the junior from Plant City, Florida, worked four innings, scattering four hits, one walk and striking out four batters. Halyne Gonzalez finished off her first save of the year with three innings out of the bullpen, allowing one run on three hits to go along with four fanned batters.
 
The loss went to ASU starter Kohana Pousson (0-3) as she went five innings in the circle, giving up five runs (four earned) on nine hits and two strikeouts.
 
The ASU offense was paced by Gardner's 2-for-3 effort at the dish and run scored.
 
BCU was led at the plate by Uyema with a 2-for-3 effort adding two RBIs and a run. Scott finished 2-for-4 with two runs. And it was centerfielder Davis going 2-for-2 with a run of her own.
 
ALABAMA STATE 6, BCU 4
Leah Richardson's first home run of the season broke open a deadlock in the top of the seventh inning Saturday afternoon, as Alabama State took the second game of a doubleheader from Bethune-Cookman 6-4 at Sunnyland Park in Daytona Beach, Florida.
 
With the game tied at 4-all after the fourth inning, it went to the seventh with the heart of the Alabama State (12-16, 2-4 SWAC) lineup coming to bat.
 
Leah Richardson, the Hornets first baseman, knocked out her first home run of the year in leadoff fashion, putting ASU up 5-4. A single from ASU's Gardner and back-to-back wild pitches from Halyne Gonzalez moved Gardner to third, setting up Charity Bibbs to manage a fielder's choice that allowed the Hornets second baseman Gardner to score and make it 6-4.
 
ASU made it 2-0 in the top of the second inning courtesy two errors in the frame by the Wildcats.
 
After third baseman Brooke Ramsey singled to start the inning, Gardner reached on a fielder's choice, and later scored alongside Ramsey off an error charged to the BCU infield.
 
Bethune-Cookman (7-19, 5-1 SWAC) quickly tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the inning.
 
Kallie Earlington doubled to left and later scored from an Angelina Badalament single to right. Joyce Bloome's bunt single plated Briana Velazquez to make it 2-all.
 
BCU took a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the third as a Brooklyn Scott triple to the wall in right field drove across Joslynn Davis who began the BCU at-bat with a single. The lead was 4-2 courtesy Earlington's sacrifice fly to left which allowed the speedy Bloome to score from third.
 
Alabama State answered in kind with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth.
 
A Kindal DeRamus single up the middle at the top of the order scored Kendall Smiley, after the Hornets right fielder tripled in her at-bat a play earlier. And later it was a Scott double down the line in right to drive in DeRamus and knot things at 4-4.
 
The win was picked up by relief pitcher Charity Bibbs (6-8) as she worked five innings, allowing just one run on six hits and a strikeout. Ana Richiez failed to factor into the decision in the start, as she tossed two frames, giving up three runs on six hits.
 
Halyne Gonzalez (5-9) took the loss for Bethune-Cookman, as she worked six innings, being touched for five runs (three earned) on nine hits and striking out eight batters. Alyssa Lopez closed the game in the circle for the Wildcats, pitching an inning and allowing one run on one hit.
 
ASU used Gardner's 3-for-4 afternoon at the dish with two runs scored to lead the offensive attack.
 
BCU was guided by a 2-for-3 day by Velazquez with a run scored, as well as a 2-for-4 effort turned in by Davis as she also added a run of her own.
 
Bethune-Cookman returns to SWAC play next weekend when traveling to Alabama A&M in Huntsville, Alabama, for a three-game series beginning with a doubleheader on Friday, March 22, at 1 p.m. ET.
 
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