DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Savannah State University softball team (5-13, 0-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) dropped the doubleheader Saturday to Bethune-Cookman University (16-18, 2-0 MEAC) 5-0 in game one and 8-7 in game two at the Sunnyland Park to begin MEAC play.
 
Senior center fielder Brianna Harris led the team going .571 (4-for-7) with two runs scored and an RBI in two games, while senior shortstop Drea Lesure and junior third baseman Cortni Jones each batted .333 (2-for-6) and a double.  Jones recorded a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs.
 
Bethune-Cookman 5, Savannah State 0 (Game One)
Senior shortstop Drea Lesure recorded two of the three hits, while freshman pitcher Tanisha Williams recorded the other hit.  On the mound, Williams (1-1) picked up the loss pitching the first five innings giving up three runs, one earned, on five hits. 
 
Through the first three innings, both teams combined with three hits with BCU record two hits and SSU recording a hit. 
 
Bethune-Cookman got on the board first with two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning with two runs to take a 2-0 lead after an error and a wild pitch to allow both runs to score and scored another run in the fifth inning to take a 3-0 lead after an RBI single.
 
BCU scored the final two runs in the sixth inning for the five run win after an RBI single and an error to allow a Wildcat to score.
 
The Wildcats were led by Mariah Davis and Iesha Waters going 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Davis and Taylor Sherritt each recorded an RBI.  On the mound, Alexis Bermudez pitched a complete game giving up three hits. 
 
Bethune-Cookman 8, Savannah State 7 (Game Two)
Senior center fielder Brianna Harris went 4-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, while junior third baseman Cortni Jones went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBIs.  On the mound, senior pitcher Amanda Hallman pitched a complete game giving up eight runs on seven hits.
 
Savannah State scored three run in the top of the first inning to take a 3-0 lead.  Junior right fielder Allye Sneed started off the game with a hit by a pitch and after a sacrifice bunt an error allowed Sneed to advance to third. 
 
Harris hit a single to right field to drive home Sneed for the first run of the game and to take a 1-0 lead and Jones followed up with a two-run home run to left field for a 3-0 lead.  Back-to-back outs ended the inning for SSU.
 
Bethune-Cookman scored four runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 4-3 lead after an RBI single and a three-run home run to left field. 
 
The Lady Tigers tied the game at four with a run in the top of the fourth inning after freshman Kameryn Baker's RBI bunt single to drive home freshman first baseman Shayna Byers.
 
The Wildcats scored four runs in the bottom half of the inning to retake the lead 8-4 after a grand slam by Ryan Jackson to center field.
 
The Lady Tigers added two runs in the fifth inning to cut the lead to 8-6.  Harris started the inning with a single to center field and stole second before Jones doubled to right center to drive home Harris and cut the lead to 8-5.  After a pitching change, a ground-out for the first out of the inning, advanced Jones to third base.  Hallman singled to right field to drive home Jones to cut the lead to two runs, but back-to-back outs ended the inning.
 
The Wildcats recorded one hit in the next two innings, leaving the seventh inning for the Lady Tigers.  Harris started the inning with a single through the left side and after a groundout for the first out, sophomore designated player Hannah Deckle singled down the left field line to put runners on first and third with one out.
 
Hallman walked to load the bases and a fielder's choice cut the lead run of Harris at home to keep the bases loaded with two outs.  Junior Elizabeth Humes pinched hit and walked to drive home Williams, who pinch ran for Deckle to cut the lead to a run, but a lined out ended the game. 
 
The Wildcats were led by Brianna Sanders going 2-for-3 with a run scored and three RBIs, while Jackson went 1-for-2 with two runs scored and four RBIs.  On the mound, Destiny Enriquez (3-6) picked up the win in relief pitching 1.1 innings giving up three runs on five hits, while Mariah Estrada (2) picked up the save pitching the last three innings giving up one run on three hits.
 
The final game of the series is Sunday at noon, before heading to North Carolina for a three-game series against North Carolina Central University from March 30-31. 
 
Bethune-Cookman 5, Savannah State 0 (Mar 24, 2018 at Daytona Beach, Fla.) (Game 1)
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Savannah State...... 000 000 0 -  0  3  4      (5-12, 0-1 MEAC)
Bethune-Cookman..... 000 212 X -  5  8  0      (15-18, 1-0 MEAC)
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Pitchers: Savannah State - WILLIAMS, Tanisha; DECKLE, Hannah(6) and CYRUS, Kelsey.
Bethune-Cookman - BERMUDEZ, A. and SHERRITT, T..
Win-BERMUDEZ, A.(6-6)  Loss-WILLIAMS, Tanisha(1-1)  T-2:02  A-101
Weather: 69 deg., Part Cloudy, E 2 mph
 
Bethune-Cookman 8, Savannah State 7 (Mar 24, 2018 at Daytona Beach, Fla.) (Game 2)
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Savannah State...... 300 120 1 -  7 11  2      (5-13, 0-2 MEAC)
Bethune-Cookman..... 400 400 X -  8  7  1      (16-18, 2-0 MEAC)
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Pitchers: Savannah State - HALLMAN, Amanda and CYRUS, Kelsey. Bethune-Cookman - GUZMAN, V.;
ENRIQUEZ, D.(3); ESTRADA, M.(5) and SHERRITT, T..
Win-ENRIQUEZ, D.(3-6)  Save-ESTRADA, M.(2)  Loss-HALLMAN, Amanda(3-6)  T-2:23  A-114
HR SSUSB - JONES, Cortni (4).
HR BCUSB - JACKSON, R. (13); SANDERS, B. (3).
Weather: 69 deg., Most Cloudy, ENE 9mph
ENRIQUEZ, D. faced 2 batters in the 5th.
 
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