Lady Wildcats Split High-Scoring Twinbill with Central Baptist
MCKENZIE, Tenn. - The Bethel Lady Wildcats battled to a doubleheader split Friday afternoon against Central Baptist Mustangs in McKenzie, taking game one 12-9 before dropping the nightcap 7-2.
Game One: Bethel 12, Central Baptist 9
The Lady Wildcats exploded offensively in the opener, racking up 15 hits and three home runs to outlast Central Baptist in a back-and-forth contest.
After surrendering six runs in the top of the second and three more in the third, Bethel responded with steady production at the plate. Kinsley Caruthers launched a three-run home run as part of a three-RBI performance, while Chanley Price and Kalani Hernandez also went deep. Hernandez finished with three RBIs, and Riley Sharp added three hits, including two doubles, and drove in two runs.
Kayleigh Dunn contributed three hits and an RBI, and Kinsley Nichols scored three times while swiping two bases as Bethel turned pressure on the basepaths into production.
In the circle, Maleyia Prather battled through three innings before Amelia Sherrill came on in relief and shut down Central Baptist over the final four frames, allowing no runs and earning the win.
The Lady Wildcats broke the game open with four runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to secure the 12-9 victory.
Game Two: Central Baptist 7, Bethel 2
Central Baptist answered in game two, using a five-run first to seize control.
Bethel managed just three hits in the nightcap, with Riley Sharp collecting two, including a double, and Kinsley Caruthers scoring one of the Wildcats' two runs. The Mustangs' Emma Fenley kept Bethel off balance, tossing a complete game and allowing just two unearned runs.
Briley Auvenshine and Sherrill combined to limit further damage after the early surge, but Bethel was unable to generate the same offensive rhythm from the opener.
Head Coach Craig Massey saw positives despite the split.
"I loved the way we swung the bats in game one and how we responded when they punched first," Massey said. "We showed a lot of toughness. In the second game, we just didn't string together quality at-bats. We'll learn from it and keep building. It's early, and this group has a lot of fight."
With the split, the Lady Wildcats continue to gain experience early in the season and will hit the road next weekend for a pair of conference matchups at Crowley's Ridge College and Williams Baptist University.
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