GULFPORT, Miss. – Southern edged Bethune-Cookman 2-1 on Wednesday afternoon at the Gulfport Sportsplex, eliminating the Wildcats from the SWAC Tournament. Bethune-Cookman moved the tying run into scoring position in the seventh inning but were unable to cash in as its season came to an end.
Bethune-Cookman struck first in the opening inning. Janel Morrisey reached after being hit by a pitch and later scored on an RBI single up the middle from Jasmine Manebo to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.
Southern threatened in the first and second innings with multiple baserunners, but Bethune-Cookman worked out of trouble to preserve the lead.
The Jaguars broke through in the third inning. Katiana Maldonado opened the frame with a single before Abigail Mitchell delivered an RBI single to tie the game at 1-1. Later in the inning, Kira Manganello lined an RBI single to center field to give Southern a 2-1 advantage.
Bethune-Cookman attempted to answer throughout the middle innings. Kween Tauala collected hits in both the fourth and seventh innings, while Janel Morrisey reached scoring position in the sixth after a stolen base, but Southern pitcher Chakirrious Parker stranded the tying run each time.
The Wildcats mounted one final threat in the seventh inning. After Tauala and Arianna Reynolds opened the frame with singles, Bethune-Cookman put the tying run in scoring position with one out. Southern's defense responded with a key force out at third before Parker induced a game-ending groundout to seal the victory.
Southern finished with 11 hits in the contest, led by a three-hit performance from Abigail Mitchell. Parker earned the complete-game victory, allowing one run on seven hits while striking out three.
Mia Gonzalez was charged with the loss for Bethune-Cookman, while Sofia Coleman tossed four innings of scoreless relief.
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