Braves Softball Splits Doubleheader with UAPB

LORMAN, Miss. – Yahnya Acevedo turned in seven hits across two games Thursday afternoon as Alcorn split a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Softball doubleheader with Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Alcorn Softball Complex in Lorman, Mississippi. The Braves won the opening game 8-4, while the Golden Lions took the nightcap 8-7.
 
GAME ONE: ALCORN 8, UAPB 4
Chiara Olison pitched a complete game and Yahnya Acevedo delivered a two-run triple during a five-run second inning as Alcorn defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 8-4 in the first game of a SWAC doubleheader Thursday at the Alcorn Softball Complex in Lorman, Mississippi.
 
Chiara Olison (8-18) went the distance in the pitcher's circle for the Purple and Gold, surrendering four runs on six hits while walking three and striking out one to earn the win. The junior left-hander worked out of trouble repeatedly, stranding six UAPB baserunners.
 
Alcorn (14-31, 2-17 SWAC) broke the deadlock in the bottom of the second inning, sending eight batters to the plate and collecting five hits off UAPB starter Kaydrian Fields.
 
Shortstop Olivia Miller's RBI single ignited the rally, and Karmen Bernard and Jamyiyah Cotten each added run-scoring singles before left fielder Yahnya Acevedo cleared the bases with a triple to left-center that pushed the Braves' lead to 5-1 at that time.
 
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (11-27, 4-12 SWAC) struck first on a Lyric Perry solo home run to dead center field in the top of the second.
 
Perry] was also walked intentionally twice in the game.
 
A wild pitch from Olison plated another Golden Lions run in the fourth before the Golden Lions mounted a two-run rally in the seventh on an RBI single by Ryen Gaddis and a sacrifice fly from Angelina Rivas. However, it would prove to be too little, too late against an Alcorn defense that played error-free softball throughout the contest.
 
The host Braves added three insurance runs in the sixth on an RBI groundout by Miller and a two-run single by Olison herself, who went 1-for-3 at the plate to help her own cause.
 
Kaydrian Fields (5-7) took the loss for UAPB after surrendering five earned runs on seven hits in just 1.2 innings. Karis Stewart and Traelen Humphrey combined for the remaining 4.1 frames in relief.
 
Acevedo finished 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a stolen base. Paris Thompson and Olivia Miller each added two hits for Alcorn, with Thompson doubling in the sixth to help set up the three-run frame.
 
GAME TWO: UAPB 8, ALCORN 7
Arkansas-Pine Bluff survived a furious Alcorn rally, holding on for an 8-7 victory in the second game of a SWAC Softball doubleheader Thursday at Alcorn Softball Complex to split the twin bill in Lorman, Mississippi.
 
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (12-27, 5-12 SWAC) built a 6-0 lead through three innings largely on the strength of Alcorn's own miscues, then withstood a three-run Braves fourth before Traelen Humphrey slammed the door with 1.2 scoreless innings of relief to earn the save – her first of the season.
 
Heidi Price (2-8) earned the win in the circle for the visitors despite surrendering three runs in two innings of work, as the box score tells only part of the story in a game that featured seven combined errors.
 
UAPB did its damage early and messily.
 
A four-run second inning was fueled largely by an Alcorn throwing error charged to the infield that allowed two unearned runs to score, with Janiah Wilson's two-run single capping the outburst.
 
The Golden Lions tacked on two more in the third stretching the lead at 6-0, again aided by Alcorn fielding miscues, with Rheagan Montgomery delivering an RBI single through the left side.
 
Alcorn (14-32, 2-18 SWAC) refused to fold.
 
The Braves chipped away with a run in the third on a wild pitch, then exploded for three in the fourth – all unearned, when a Karmen Bernard bunt single triggered a throwing error that opened the floodgates.
 
Yahnya Acevedo and Rajayla McBride each added RBI singles in the frame to pull Alcorn within 6-4, respectively.
 
Sanai Salvant's RBI single in the fifth made it a one-run game at 6-5.
 
UAPB pushed the cushion back to three at 8-5 with two more unearned runs in the sixth on a Kaydrian Fields RBI single.
 
However, Alcorn answered immediately.
 
Right fielder Mariah Morgan ripped a two-run triple down the right field line to the fence to pull the Braves within 8-7, and Alcorn loaded the bases before Humphrey came on and retired the final five batters she faced without allowing a run.
 
Acevedo went 4-for-5 with an RBI and two stolen bases to lead Alcorn at the plate – allowing her seven hits across the two legs of the doubleheaders on the day.
 
Meanwhile, Wilson finished 1-for-1 with two RBIs and a stolen base for UAPB, while Montgomery went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Fields added a 2-for-3 line at the dish with an RBI in her second appearance of the day, this time at the plate rather than in the circle.
 
Starter Alainah Felton (4-10) absorbed the loss for Alcorn, surrendering five runs (all unearned) on three hits in two innings worked in the circle.
 
The two teams return for an entire single game capping the three-game series Friday at noon. But immediately afterwards, the teams will meet for a continuation of a game halted last month in Arkansas due to weather, with Alcorn leading 5-3 in the top of the seventh inning.
 
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