DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Aysiah Gonzalez registered five hits across two games Wednesday afternoon as Bethune-Cookman Softball split a nonconference doubleheader with visiting Bryant at Sunnyland Park in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Wildcats claimed a 6-3 win in the opening game, before falling in the nightcap, 5-4.
 

B-CU 6, BRYANT 3
Halyne Gonzalez went the distance in the circle while Kendall Macauley drove in four runs as Bethune-Cookman defeated Bryant 6-3 in the first game of Wednesday's softball doubleheader at Sunnyland Park in Daytona Beach, Florida.
 
Bethune-Cookman (8-18) used a three-run fourth inning to pull away and withstood a late rally by the Bulldogs to secure their eighth win of the season. Gonzalez (5-12) scattered six hits over seven innings, allowing three runs – only one earned – while striking out eight and walking three.
 
Macauley led the Wildcats offensively, going 2-for-2 with four RBIs, including a two-run double in the decisive fourth inning that broke the game open. The first baseman also drove in the Wildcats' first run with a sacrifice fly in the opening frame.
 
Bryant (6-13) struck first when Hannah Cochran launched a solo home run on the game's opening pitch with a deep shot to left field to lead off the game. The Bulldogs' designated hitter finished 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Bethune-Cookman answered immediately in the bottom half of the first when senior centerfielder Joslynn Davis walked, advanced to third following a walk to Jessica Alaan and a stolen base and scored on Macauley's sacrifice fly to right field.
 
The Wildcats took control with two runs in the third frame.
 
Davis singled to left field and later scored on Macauley's RBI single. Alaan, who had walked, came around to score on shortstop Briana Velazquez's RBI groundout, giving BCU a 3-1 lead.
 
The Maroon and Gold extended the lead at 6-1 in the fourth, capitalizing on Bryant's lone error. Third baseman Aysiah Gonzalez singled and was replaced by pinch-runner India Stokes, who stole second base. After Davis drew her second walk of the game, Alaan singled to shortstop, allowing Stokes to score when Bryant shortstop Sam Rohwer committed a fielding error. Macauley followed with her two-run double to center field, driving in both Davis and Alaan.
 
Bryant's Chloe Jewitt (2-1) took the loss in the pitcher's circle, allowing three runs on three hits in two-plus innings. Grace McKillop pitched the final four innings, surrendering three runs on five hits.
 
The Bulldogs mounted a comeback in the sixth inning, scoring twice to cut the deficit to 6-3. Makenna Coleman reached on a bunt single and advanced to third following Bryce Clendenin's single and a passed ball by B-CU catcher Thais Uyema. Megaghan Houk then delivered a two-run double to left-center field, scoring both Coleman and Clendenin, respectively.
 
Gonzalez shut the door in the seventh, working around a walk to Cochran and a hit-by-pitch to secure the complete-game victory. Aysiah Gonzalez had a perfect day at the plate for B-CU, going 3-for-3 with three singles, while Davis scored three runs and a hit. Alaan reached base all four times with a single and two walks, scoring twice and adding a stolen base.
 
For Bryant, Clendenin finished 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored, while Coleman and Houk each contributed a hit and two RBIs.
 
BRYANT 5, B-CU 3
Sam Rohwer's fifth-inning three-run homer helped push visiting Bryant to a 5-3 victory over Bethune-Cookman in the second game of a nonconference doubleheader Wednesday afternoon at Sunnyland Park in Daytona Beach, Florida.
 
Maddy Wachter went the distance in the circle for Bryant, scattering nine hits and allowing three runs (two earned) to improve her record to 5-2 on the season. The Bulldogs overcame an early 2-0 deficit to secure their seventh win and split the day's doubleheader.
 
Bethune-Cookman (8-19) opened the scoring in the home-half of the first inning when senior third baseman Shania Owens doubled – her second of the season and later scored on Emma Bradley-Tse's sacrifice bunt in the opening frame. The Wildcats extended their lead to 2-0 in the second inning after designated player Aysiah Gonzalez singled, advanced on an error, and came home on Thais Uyema's single to left field.
 
Bryant (7-13) began its comeback in the fourth inning when Lyndsey Brandow, serving as a pinch runner for shortstop Sam Rohwer, crossed the plate on a passed ball. The Bulldogs then took control with a decisive four-run fifth inning.
 
After Makenna Coleman drew a walk and Bryce Clendenin singled, Rohwer blasted a three-run homer to left field, giving Bryant a 4-2 lead. Megaghan Houk followed with a bunt single and later scored on Gracie Bishop's single to center field, pushing the advantage to 5-2.
 
The Wildcats tried to rally in the bottom of the sixth when pinch runner India Stokes scored on Briana Velazquez's single up the middle, cutting the deficit to 5-3. However, Wachter closed the door in the seventh, working around a leadoff error to secure the win with the help of an inning-ending double play when Joslynn Davis flied out to center field, eventually seeing Joyce Bloome doubled up at first as the right fielder was running on contact.
 
The Bulldogs managed eight hits, with Rohwer and Houk collecting two each. Rohwer drove in three runs with her home run.
 
For B-CU, Davis and Gonzalez each had two hits, while Velazquez went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Alyssa Brady took the loss for the Wildcats after surrendering three runs in 1.2 innings of relief, dropping her record to 0-1 on the campaign.
 


Bethune-Cookman welcomes Florida A&M to Sunnyland Park for a three-game Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) series this weekend, beginning with a single game Friday, March 14, at 5 p.m.
 
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