ORLANDO – Bethune-Cookman Softball got big games from Angelina Badalament and Brooklyn Scott on Saturday morning at UCF Softball Complex with the Wildcats slipping in two games against Kennesaw State and No. 22 South Carolina on the second day of the Knights Classic hosted by UCF.
 
KENNESAW STATE 8, BCU 5
Brooklyn Scott and Angelina Badalament combined for four hits Saturday morning as Kennesaw State defeated Bethune-Cookman 8-5 at UCF Softball Complex.
 
Kennesaw State (5-13) plated six runs in the opening half-inning as the Owls quickly got to Bethune-Cookman starting pitcher Sofia Vallejos-Coleman. The freshman from Vallejo, California lasted just two-thirds of an inning in her first start of the weekend.
 
KSU opened the scoring with Madison Miller coming home courtesy an error by the Bethune-Cookman outfield. Designated player Kiera Cooper would make it 3-0 with a two-run single through the left side picking up teammates Macie Howes and Ava Guzowski for the runs. Reese Evans would follow with an RBI single of her own, before Caroline Shumeyko's RBI ground-out to short plated Cooper. The lead would swell to 6-0 after Ty Hardeman's RBI triple to the wall in left, spelling the end of the day for Vallejos-Coleman in the circle for the Wildcats.
 
Bethune-Cookman (1-15) grabbed a run back in the home-half of the first off the end off a Brooklyn Scott single through the right side, bringing around Essence Gibbs who led off the at-bat with a walk.
 
With Kennesaw State up 6-1 after two innings, the Owls and Wildcats traded runs in the third.
 
KSU's Evans picked up a sacrifice fly to right allowing Kassidy Amerson-Fox to cross from third, advancing the Owls lead, 7-1.
 
BCU scored its run in the home-half when Gibbs scored for the second time on the day through a KSU error in a Scott at-bat, making it 7-2.
 
After the Owls added a run in the top of the sixth, BCU pegged back three runs in the seventh.
 
In a pinch hit role, Hannah Battles knocked an RBI single past the glove of shortstop Guzowski to bring around Kallie Earlington. That was followed up two plays later when Jessica Alaan tallied a run-scoring single off KSU relief pitcher Kenley Hilleary in order to score Battles and make it 8-4. The final run of the game came when Gibbs crossed home for the third time, coming in from Scott's single to shallow left.
 
The win went to KSU starter Leah Jannakos (1-0) as she went 6.1 innings in the circle, allowing five runs (one earned) on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts. The loss was tagged to Vallejos-Coleman (0-2) in 0.2 innings of work with six runs (five earned) on four hits, three walks and one strikeout. Alyssa Lopez finished the game on the rubber for the Wildcats in throwing a season-high 6.1 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits and picking up two strikeouts.
 
The KSU offense was paced by Miller with a 2-for-3 day, as well as Cooper's 2-for-3 effort and two RBIs. Howes added two hits and a run scored, while second baseman Hardeman had two hits, a run and an RBI as well.
 
BCU was led offensively by Scott with a 2-for-4 showing and two RBIs. Angelina Badalament went 2-for-3 as well at the dish.
 
No. 22 SOUTH CAROLINA 4, BCU 0
No. 22 South Carolina rode the arm of pitcher Jori Heard on Saturday afternoon as the Gamecocks defeated Bethune-Cookman 4-0 in the Knights Classic hosted by UCF at UCF Softball Complex in Orlando.
 
With Bethune-Cookman junior pitcher Angelina Badalament performing well in the circle for the Wildcats, the 22nd-ranked Gamecocks finally got to the Plant City, Florida native in the bottom of the third inning.
 
South Carolina (17-2) saw left fielder Marissa Gonzalez walk to begin the at-bat, later working her way into scoring position with a stolen base. After Brooke Blankenship walked at the bottom of the order, Riley Blampied reached on a fielder's choice back at the top of the order, while Gonzalez would score on an error charged to the BCU infield. A Jen Cummings two-out single to left center scored Blampied to make it 2-0 in favor of the Gamecocks.
 
South Carolina added a pair of runs in the fifth.
 
Aniyah Black smacked a two-run single past a diving Kallie Earling at third base to plate teammates Giulia Desiderio and pinch runner Emma Sellers for the 4-0 lead.
 
Jori Heard recorded the win in a complete-game effort for the Gamecocks, keeping her record for the year clean at 4-0. She finished with four strikeouts and no hits allowed. The loss went to BCU's Badalament who worked 5.2 innings, giving up four runs on five hits, four walks and two strikeouts. Alyssa Brady worked one-third of an inning out of the bullpen for the Wildcats.
 
The South Carolina offense used hits from five different players, including two RBIs from Black.
 
Bethune-Cookman concludes the Knights Classic on Sunday when the Wildcats face host UCF at 1 p.m.
 
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