North Myrtle Beach, SC – Early multi-run leads turned into heartbreaking, one-run setbacks for the Roosevelt softball team on Saturday as it opened its 2016 regular season at the Fastpitch Dreams Softball Classic with a doubleheader versus Brevard College. The Tornados rallied back from a three-run deficit to take the opener, 4-3, and then stormed back from four runs down to win the second game, 5-4.
Brevard (7-13), an NCAA Division II school out of North Carolina that is reclassifying the Division III, had the advantage coming into the contest having already played 18 games this season. Yet the Tornadoes found themselves down early as the Lakers tallied three runs in the top of the first inning of game one of the doubleheader.
Senior Kristy Santora started the scoring with an RBI single. Two batters later junior Bethany Hart pushed Roosevelt's lead to 3-0, plating two baserunners with her first career triple.
Those three runs appeared to be enough as Roosevelt starting pitcher Morgan Vogt stymied the Tornados through the opening six frames, allowing just two hits and one unearned run. In the seventh, though, Brevard rallied off the Lakers' senior with a walk and three hits providing the offensive spark. Mary Cloninger and Kinny Davis each had key run-scoring hits in the inning for the Tornados.
Brevard starter Jamie Hrobak settled down after the first inning and surrendered just one hit over the next four innings. Ricki Kuhn entered the circle in the sixth and continued to keep Roosevelt's bats at bay with two spotless innings of work. Kunch earned her second win of the season for her effort in relief.
The second game's narrative was similar to the first with the Lakers taking the early advantage and Brevard rallying back in the late innings.
This time Roosevelt jumped ahead with four runs in the top of the third inning. Hart, once again, delivered the big hit with a two-run single. All four tallies came off Brevard pitcher Kunch, who started game two. In a role reversal from first game, Hrobak entered the circle in relief. And much like Kunch did in her relief effort, Hrobak did not let Roosevelt building on its advantage over the next four-plus innings.
The Tornados offense came alive in the fifth with all five of its runs coming in the frame. Relief pitcher Morgan Youskevtch opened the inning with back-to-back walks. After a stolen base, Paige Atkison roped a two-run single to cut the Lakers' lead in half. Starter Siena Gyure reentered the game in the circle, but she could not stop Brevard's momentum as three hits, a walk and a critical two-out error by Roosevelt propelled the rally.
The Lakers came back at the Tornados in the sixth and came inches short of tying the game. With pinch-runner Brooke Lee on second, freshman Kelli Jones rapped a two-out single to centerfield. Lauren Parker came up with the defensive play of the day with a perfect throw to catcher Davis, whose tag clipped Lee's cleat before it touched the plate.
Hrobak set Roosevelt down in order in the seventh for her fifth win of the season. Gyure was the losing pitcher of record despite surrendering just two unearned runs.
Roosevelt will continue is 12-game schedule in the Fastpitch Dreams Classic on Sunday with contests versus Rio Grande and Alderson-Broaddus.
