Softball earns 3-2, rain-shortened win

Mable, Hart lead Bulldogs to 3-2 victory in Rebel Games opener

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Sophomore shortstop Aubrey Mable (Aurora, Colo.) logged a 3-for-3 day from the plate with three doubles, and that was enough for the Bryant University softball team to record a 3-2 victory against Lafayette on Sunday morning in a rain-shortened outing in the Rebel Games at the Osceola Complex.

Guided by strong pitching from junior hurler Brittany Hart (North Andover, Mass.) and Mable's timely hitting, the Bulldogs (1-5) tacked on a three-run lead against the Leopards (0-3) before the skies opened up in the bottom of the sixth inning with the Leopards attempting a late-game rally. But after an initial delay, all games were halted and the remainder of the afternoon's contests was wiped out due to the wet weather. 

Entering Sunday as the team's leading offensive threat, Mable continued to build on her strong early season numbers with a trio of extra-base hits – all doubles – while accounting for a pair of RBI to lead the team. The Colorado native also scored the last Bryant run of the game, while senior outfielder Lindsay Martin (Methuen, Mass.) scored twice for the Bulldogs.

Hart, meanwhile, offered a steady performance in the circle, as the junior faced 24 batters and scattered seven hits over five innings of work. The outing included one strikeout and no walks and an impressive strike-to-ball ratio, as Hart managed to stay out of trouble through the majority of the game. The Bay Stater retired the first eight batters she faced to improve to 1-1 on the young season.

After neither team managed a score in either of the first two innings, Mable got the Bulldogs aboard with an RBI double to deep center to drive in Martin in the top of the third. Two innings later, Martin reached on a walk and moved over to second on a sacrifice to set up more heroics from Mable. The sophomore shortstop launched another double into right center to bring home Martin, making it 2-0 in favor of the Black and Gold. In the next at-bat, Mable advanced to third on a wild pitch and came in for the third and final run after junior Talia Zizza (Reading, Mass.) reached first on an error, as the Bulldogs took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Leopards were poised to strike with runners at first and second and two away, but the final batter of the inning was called out on batter's interference to end the threat.

Lafayette did all of its damage in the sixth inning after loading the bases on three straight singles. Two runs would come in after a sacrifice fly and a fielding error, but that would be the closest that the Leopards would come, as the rain put a finite end to the contest with a runner on second and one out, meaning the final score would stay at that 3-2 margin.

Bryant returns to action in the Rebel Games tomorrow afternoon with two scheduled matches against Cleveland State and Saint Peter's. First pitch for both affairs is slated for 1 and 3 p.m., respectively.

For continuing coverage of Bryant University softball, check back online at www.bryantbulldogs.com; also follow the Bulldogs on Twitter @BryantAthletics.