The Bearcats traveled to Hackettstown, New Jersey, on Tuesday afternoon for a non-conference doubleheader against the Cyclones of Centenary University, splitting the two-game set.
Centenary edged the Bearcats in a dramatic opening game, earning a 9–8 walk-off victory. The two teams were deadlocked at 6–6 after six innings before the seventh provided plenty of late-inning excitement. The Bearcats struck first in the top of the frame, taking an 8–6 lead on a Megan Bell sacrifice fly RBI followed by a run-scoring single from Jules Wychunas. However, the Cyclones answered in their final at-bat, scoring three runs on three hits to secure the walk-off win.
Ava Lavery led the Bearcats offensively in game one, going 4-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. For Centenary, Anna Cunningham paced the lineup, finishing 3-for-5 at the plate.
The second game told a very different story, as the Bearcats rebounded with an emphatic 14–3 victory. After the teams were tied 1–1 early, the Bearcats broke the deadlock with two runs in the second inning, highlighted by an RBI single from Bell and a sacrifice fly RBI by Wychunas. Centenary briefly tied the game in the fourth inning, but the Bearcats quickly took control, scoring three runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to pull ahead 8–3.
The Bearcats put the game out of reach with a six-run seventh inning, fueled by RBI singles from Wychunas, Mia Faddah, Grace Osuch, and Kaitlyn Belfield to seal the 14–3 final.
Reina Castro-Johnson earned the win in the circle, tossing a complete-game, seven-inning performance with three strikeouts to collect her seventh win of the regular season. Bell continued her strong day at the plate, going 4-for-6, while Mina Barriga, Faddah, and Belfield each recorded three hits in the victory.
The Bearcats return to action on Thursday with a 3:00 p.m. non-conference doubleheader at Montclair State University in New Jersey.
