ITTA BENA, Miss. – Senior pitcher Alyssa Lopez registered her first career no-hitter Friday afternoon helping Bethune-Cookman sweep a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Softball doubleheader from Mississippi Valley State at MVSU Softball Field in Itta Bena, Mississippi. The Wildcats performed with a 15-0 win in the opening game of the day and later responded with a 16-2 win in the nightcap.
 
B-CU 15, MVSU 0
Bethune-Cookman pitcher Alyssa Lopez completed her first career no-hitter as Bethune-Cookman claimed a 15-0 victory from Mississippi Valley State on Friday afternoon at MVSU Softball Field in Itta Bena, Mississippi.
 
Lopez, the reigning SWAC Co-Pitcher of the Week, was masterful in the circle, striking out five and walking just two while facing only 19 batters in the complete-game shutout. The senior right-hander improved her season record to 8-4 in the win.
 
"Everything was working today," Lopez said afterward. "My defense played great behind me, and when you have that kind of run support, it takes a lot of pressure off as a pitcher."
 
Bethune-Cookman (17-23, 10-5 SWAC) wasted no time establishing control, scoring five runs in the first inning.
 
The Wildcats struck quickly in the first inning when third baseman Shania Owens drew a leadoff walk, stole second and third, then scored on a Joslynn Davis infield single. After Davis stole second and third herself, left fielder Emma Bradley-Tse drove her in with a groundout. First baseman Kendall Macauley followed with a single and stolen base, then scored on Molly Blackwood's single shot back up the middle. Thais Uyema delivered a two-run single to right center that put Bethune-Cookman up 5-0.
 
The Maroon and Gold scoring continued in the second inning against Mississippi Valley State (2-28, 0-6 SWAC) reliever Madison Bruce. Once again, it was Owens leading off – this time with a bunt single, before she then swiped second and third, before being plated on Davis's bunt single. After Davis advanced to third on Bradley-Tse's sac bunt, the centerfielder scored when Macauley reached on an error. Blackwood followed with an RBI single to make it 8-0 in favor of the visitors.
 
The third inning saw Bethune-Cookman pile on five more runs, highlighted by Davis's RBI single, Bradley-Tse's two-run single, Macauley's sacrifice fly, and Alaan's RBI double, respectfully.
 
The Cats added a pair of insurance runs in the top-half of the fourth frame.
 
The Delta Devilettes committed four errors, and saw their pitchers surrender 15 runs on 16 hits. Clark and Bruce combined to strike out just one Wildcats batter while allowing three walks and hitting one batter. MVSU starter Ashtyn Clark accepted the loss in the circle for the Delta Devilettes, lasting just one inning to fall to 1-10 on the season.
 
Lopez's no-hitter was the first of her collegiate career and the first for a Bethune-Cookman pitcher since Alexis Bermudez recorded the feat in the opening game of the 2019 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament in Ormond Beach, Florida – an event hosted by Bethune-Cookman. Despite hitting two batters and walking two others, she worked out of trouble in the second inning when MVSU loaded the bases but failed to score.
 
"I didn't really think about the no-hitter until the last inning," Lopez admitted. "I just focused on making quality pitches and letting my defense work behind me."
 
As a team, Bethune-Cookman pounded out 16 hits while taking advantage of four Delta Devilettes errors. The Wildcats' offense was led by a trio of standout performances.
 
Shanai Owens went 2-for-2 with four runs scored and an RBI, while also tallying five stolen bases. Joslynn Davis delivered a 3-for-4 day at the plate with three runs, three RBIs, and three stolen bases of her own. Freshman Molly Blackwood, the reigning SWAC Newcomer of the Week, added three hits and two RBIs from her designated player position in the lineup.
 
Bethune-Cookman swiped a season-best 12 bags in the contest, consistently putting pressure on the MVSU defense.
 
"We came out with great energy today and executed our game plan perfectly," said Bethune-Cookman head coach Laura Watten. "The aggressive baserunning is something we've emphasized all season, and it paid dividends today."
 
B-CU 16, MVSU 2
Seven different players posted a multi-hit outing Saturday afternoon as Bethune-Cookman Softball completed a doubleheader sweep of Mississippi Valley State in a SWAC affair at MVSU Softball Field in Itta Bena, Mississippi.
 
The Bethune-Cookman (18-23, 11-5 SWAC) offensive onslaught began immediately when leadoff hitter Owens drew a walk and promptly stole second base. Joslynn Davis followed with a bunt single, and Owens scored when Mississippi Valley State (2-29, 0-17 SWAC) second baseman Madison Wesley mishandled the throw.
 
Bradley-Tse singled in Davis, then scored herself on a wild pitch after stealing second. Briana Velazquez singled with one away, following Jessica Alaan's single as well, and Alana Cypress reached on an error to load the bases. The carousel continued as Velazquez scored on a wild pitch, Alaan came home on a throwing error, and Cypress scored on Thais Uyema's RBI single. The Wildcats weren't done yet, as Owens drove in Uyema with a single up the middle, then scored herself after stealing second and advancing on Davis' single and a wild pitch.
 
Bradley-Tse delivered her second RBI single of the frame to plate Davis, and Kendall Macauley followed with an RBI single of her own. After Blackwood singled, Macauley capped the scoring with a steal of home. In all, the Cats scored 11 runs on 11 hits.
 
The Maroon and Gold added two more runs in the third.
 
Bradley-Tse and Macauley led off with singles and executed a double steal before Blackwood drove them both in with a single to right field. In the fifth, Bethune-Cookman tacked on three insurance runs. Blackwood led off with a triple to right field and scored on Cypress's single. After Uyema was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game, Owens delivered a two-run single to left field, increasing the lead to 16-0.
 
Mississippi Valley State avoided the shutout with two unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth.
 
Aulora Edwards walked and eventually scored on an error, while Madison Wesley crossed the plate after reaching on a fielder's choice. Brady relieved Gonzalez with two outs and retired the only batter she faced to end the game.
 
That produced the final 16-2 score line.
 
B-CU displayed aggressiveness on the basepaths, successfully stealing 11 bases in the contest. Bradley-Tse and Macauley each had three steals, while Owens and Davis contributed two apiece. Blackwood added one stolen base for the Wildcats, respectfully.
 
Bethune-Cookman pounded out 20 hits and scored 11 runs in a first inning that saw the Wildcats send 16 batters to the plate in the opening half-inning. The Wildcats capitalized on four Mississippi Valley State errors to score 11 runs on 11 hits against Delta Devils starter Karis Robinson, who was chased after just one inning of work.
 
Emma Bradley-Tse led the Wildcats' offensive attack by going a perfect 4-for-4 with two RBIs and three stolen bases. Shania Owens delivered a three-hit, three-RBI performance while also crossing the plate twice and swiping two bags. Molly Blackwood added three hits, including a triple, and drove in two runs.
 
Halyne Gonzalez earned the win in the pitcher's circle for the Wildcats, improving to 9-15 on the season. She allowed just two hits and two unearned runs over 4.2 innings while striking out five. Alyssa Brady recorded the final out to complete the mercy-rule shortened contest.
 
The two teams meet back at MVSU Softball Field on Saturday to conclude the series with first pitch set for noon ET (11 a.m. CT).
 
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