PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – Alcorn battled tough Friday afternoon, but the Braves were unable to come away with a victory in either leg of a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Softball doubleheader away to Prairie View A&M, falling by scores of 8-3 and 12-0 at Lady Panthers Softball Stadium in Prairie View, Texas.
GAME ONE: PVAMU 8, ALCORN 3
Dyani McKinley went 3-for-3 with a home run, a double and three RBIs to lead Prairie View A&M to an 8-3 victory over Alcorn in the first game of a SWAC Softball doubleheader Friday afternoon at Lady Panthers Softball Stadium in Prairie View, Texas.
Dyani McKinley, the Panthers' third baseman, provided the offensive spark throughout the contest, finishing with two stolen bases and accounting for two of Prairie View's eight runs. She capped her afternoon with a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to produce the final 8-3 outcome.
Prairie View (23-14, 15-1 SWAC) jumped out to an early advantage in the first inning when Kayla Zaid worked a walk, stole second and came home on a wild pitch from Braves starting pitcher
Alainah Felton.
The hosts widened their advantage in the second inning, scoring three runs on McKinley's two-run double and a subsequent RBI groundout by Zaid to make it 4-1.
Alcorn (13-27, 1-15 SWAC) answered briefly in the top of the second when centerfielder
Rajayla McBride scored on a single by
Ka'Miya Dillon, allowing the Braves to knot the score at 1-1 at the time.
But Prairie View continued to pull away with two more runs in the third inning on Morgan Smith's RBI triple and an RBI groundout by Michelle Meeks.
Kayla Adams earned the win for the Panthers, going all seven innings in the circle and allowing three runs on 12 hits while striking out three. Adams improved to 13-6 on the season.
Meanwhile, Alcorn's Felton suffered the loss, falling to 4-9 after surrendering five runs in two innings of work.
Chiara Olison came on in relief and pitched four innings, allowing three runs on five hits, including a home run.
Despite the setback on the scoreboard, Alcorn out-hit Prairie View 12-7.
Yahnya Acevedo went 3-for-3 for the Braves, while McBride finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Olivia Miller added two hits, including a double.
Smith added a triple for the Panthers, and Kearstin Tinsley drove in a run with a single in the fourth inning.
GAME TWO: PVAMU 12, ALCORN 0
Prairie View A&M sent 14 batters to the plate in an 11-run first inning and never looked back, blanking Alcorn 12-0 in five innings to complete a SWAC Softball doubleheader sweep Friday afternoon at Lady Panthers Softball Stadium in Prairie View, Texas.
Reagan Green went 1-for-3 while delivering three RBIs to pace the Panthers offensively, while Mia Nunez finished 2-for-2 with a triple, a double and an RBI. Dyani McKinley, who starred in the first game of Friday's doubleheader as well, added an RBI single in the first inning as part of a relentless Prairie View attack that forced Alcorn to deploy three different pitchers before the frame was over.
Prairie View (24-14, 16-1 SWAC) wasted no time in the bottom of the first.
Jade Uresti led off with a triple and scored on an error. Isabela Rodriguez singled, stole second and eventually scored on Green's RBI single. Nunez followed with an RBI double, and the Panthers kept rolling – scoring eight times before Alcorn was able to record a single out in the inning.
Jordan Franklin drew a bases-loaded walk, McKinley singled in a run, and a wild pitch and two more walks pushed the lead to 9-0 before
Alainah Felton finally ended the inning with two groundouts.
Prairie View added its 12th run in the third inning when Nunez tripled and scored on a Green groundout.
Yazmyn Stewart earned the win for the Panthers, throwing four shutout innings and allowing just four hits while striking out two. She improved to 9-2 on the season.
Caden Young worked a clean fifth inning in relief.
Chiara Olison was saddled with the loss for Alcorn, falling to 7-16 after retiring none of the five batters she faced in the first inning and surrendering all five earned runs charged to her.
Olivia Miller came on in relief but walked four batters and allowed five more runs before collecting an out. Felton, the Braves starter in game one of the day's doubleheader affair, pitched 3.2 innings of relief and surrendered two runs, but the damage was long done.
Alcorn (13-29, 1-16 SWAC) managed just four hits on the day and was held scoreless through the five-inning run-rule decision.
Mariah Morgan went 2-for-2 to lead the Braves at the plate.
The two teams close out the series Saturday at noon back at Lady Panthers Softball Stadium.
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