BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. - Three days after tossing a complete-game one-hitter in a Brevard win over Milligan, Jamie Hrobak again stole the show in the Tornados' sweep of Montreat that allowed Brevard to move to .500 on the young season.
The junior right-handed pitcher threw a gem in Brevard's (4-4) 7-0 win in the first game of the afternoon, scattering three hits in seven innings and recording 15 strikeouts, two shy of Hrobak's own school record set two years ago at Johnson C. Smith. Her 15 punchouts were tied for fourth in Brevard's NCAA-era history.
The Tornados broke a 3-3 tie in the fourth inning of the second game and called upon Hrobak to protect the lead over the final three frames. She retired all nine Montreat (0-6) batters she faced, five on strikeouts, to pick up the third save of her career and bring the Tornados' record to an even .500 on the season.
As valuable as Hrobak was in the circle for the Tornados, the team owes much of its success to Deandra Ealey. The freshman Fort Lawn, South Carolina native has been primarily used as a pinch runner and late-innings defensive replacement over the season's first one and a half weeks, but came up big in her opportunities on Wednesday.
Ealey was inserted into the game to play left field in the bottom of the fourth inning and strode to the plate with two on and two out with Brevard leading 3-0. She rocketed the first pitch she saw deep into the gap in right center field for a two-run triple and came in to score on a wild pitch moments later. Her blow was the biggest in an inning that saw Brevard break a scoreless tie with six runs and sent 10 batters to the plate.
Ealey also came up with a pivotal play in the second game of the doubleheader. With the game tied at three runs each, Ealey laced another triple to right center, this time on a 2-0 offering from Lauren Rowell. Hanna Huckabee drove her in with what turned out to be the game-winning run two pitches later on an RBI groundout to the second baseman.
Tornados' pitchers constantly kept the Cavaliers guessing at the plate, allowing just seven hits in 14 innings between the two games. Casey Whitaker earned the start in the second game and gave up two runs on three hits over 2.0 innings, while Dallas Heaton gave up a run on one hit in her 2.0 innings of work.
Whitaker was also efficient on the offensive end, going 4-for-7 with four RBIs and a pair of runs scored on the day, extending her hitting streak to six games. She is the team's second-leading hitter on the season with a .400 average and six extra-base hits.
The Tornados return to action on Saturday with a doubleheader against Lees-McRae. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
