Softball Starts Season with Split Versus Evangel

The new-look Avila softball team has close to two dozen additions to the squad that finished in the final four at the KCAC Tournament last season, and second-year head coach Charlie Kennedy got to unveil plenty of his new pieces, mixing them in with a reliable group of returners, many of whom played big roles in Friday's season opener.

For the first five innings, Friday's first game featured a true pitcher's duel between Avila's No. 1 Payton Walter and Evangel ace Samantha Romano. Both teams got a little traffic here and there but nothing prolonged until the Eagles completely broke things open in the late innings.

Walter issued a one-two-three top of the sixth, bringing the top of the Eagle lineup to the plate in a scoreless game. Avila swiftly hit Romano with four straight singles from the first four hitters in the lineup, knocking Romano out with no outs on the board. Ka'Zem Wood and Brooke Belflower drove in runs in the frame in their Avila debuts.

Halle Benskin immediately greeted reliever Ashland Diggs with another single, plating two more runs and extending the lead to 4-0. Diggs finally recorded a couple of outs but the Eagles were not done: Ellysa Butterfield worked a walk and then pulled off a double steal with Benskin to bring in a run, and then Butterfield scored herself on a base knock by Talley Cole. Chelsea Kurtz then singled for the second time in the inning – Avila's seventh hit as a team – but the Eagles had to settle for six runs in the frame.

And that was more than enough to earn the win. The Valor managed to scratch across a run in the top of the seventh to spoil the shutout bid, but Walter had more than enough wiggle room to wrap up a 6-1 Avila win. Walter threw all seven innings on 81 pitches, allowing five hits and the one run with no walks and six strikeouts, a brilliant performance to begin her senior season. Kurtz, Belflower and Kennedee Lara had two hits for the Eagles.

Once again, a big inning made the difference in the second game of Friday's doubleheader, but this time the result went the other way. Batting in the cleanup spot in her first game as an Eagle, Belflower drove in three runs over the first three innings to help Avila jump out to a 4-0 lead. But the Valor had a rally ready this time, scoring one run in the fourth and then blasting back with five runs in the fifth, highlighted by a grand slam from catcher Ali Raley.

After all that, the visitors held a 6-4 lead but the Eagles wasted no time trying to pull off a comeback. With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Kurtz slapped a single up the middle and came around to score on a hit by Wood. Samantha Gatica nearly tied the game later in the frame, but was robbed by a nice running catch from right fielder Kya Schmidt to retire the side.

Evangel could get nothing going against reliever McKayla Cotton in her debut, sending Avila back to the plate down by just one in the bottom of the seventh. Evangel threw Diggs for the second straightgame and, unlike the first time, the Eagles could not find a way through against her – though they certainly came close. Butterfield led off the inning with a single and Kurtz followed with a double just beyond the reach of the left fielder, giving the Eagles two runners in scoring position with nobody out – but they never could bring the tying or winning runs home, and Evangel held on for a 6-5 win.

Kurtz put together a brilliant start to her junior season, going 4-for-4 with three steals and three runs scored in game two. Cotton threw 2.2 innings of relief and didn't' allow a hit; Chaunelle Penn got the start in her Avila debut and was solid, allowing just one run over four full.

Avila softball will be right back in action on Saturday, February 11 with another non-conference doubleheader against William Penn. Action at The Z begins at 1 PM; you can watch all the action live on the Avila Sports Network.