BREVARD, N.C. – The Brevard College softball team (2-4) fell twice to Covenant (7-9) in a pair of tight affairs, 4-2 and 3-0, on a chilly Friday afternoon at the BC Softball Field.
 
The Tornados rallied late in game one, cutting the deficit in half with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth, however the late surge fell just short with Covenant taking game one by two. The Scots were able to shut down BC's offense in the second contest of the day, using a three-run third inning to pull through with the doubleheader sweep.
   
Covenant struck first with four runs in the top of the first thanks to a wild pitch, an RBI double, and a two-run homer down the left-field line. Through the first time through the BC batting order, however, Covenant's Charley Clark struck out five Tornados as the Scots kept their 4-0 lead intact.
 
Elizabeth Auciello kept Covenant at bay through the third though, retiring 11 batters with a pair of strikeouts as Brevard remained within striking distance midway through game one. Clark answered in the bottom of the fourth, sitting BC down in order once more.
 
The Scots led the top of the fifth off with a double, but the runner was cut down trying to extend it to a triple on a heads-up relay by Regan Winkler over to Jadyn Harlow.
 
Brevard finally broke through after 15 batters retired in a row by Clark. Harlow reached on a fielding error by Covenant's RF, and Kayleigh Marr came in to pinch-run for the Tornado 3B. Michaela Jones laid down a spectacular bunt for an infield single, and a Scot throwing error allowed both runners to come across as the Tornados cut the deficit in half, 4-2. Alyssa Boris roped a pinch-hit single with nobody out, but three-straight outs ended further damage.
 
Auciello retired the Scots in order in the top of the seventh, and with one out in the bottom-half of the frame Andrea Furr smacked a pinch-hit double to right field. Winkler followed suit with a single to left that placed runners on the corners, but two-straight outs forced by Clark  and the Covenant defense halted the threat and gave the Scots a 4-2 victory.
 
Jones and Marr scored Brevard's two runs in game one of the doubleheader, while Auciello shined with 6.1 innings of scoreless work, allowing just four hits with three strikeouts. Furr added a double to BC's late offensive surge.
   
Auciello (1-2) got the start in game two of the twin bill, looking to pick up where she left off in the first contest. The Tornado lefty turned in two scoreless frames before running to some trouble in the third as Covenant was able to strike for three runs in the top-half of the inning.
 
Boris was able to pick up the good work she put forth in the first contest, logging two singles in her first two at-bats in game two. Her single sparked a rally for the Tornados in the bottom of the fourth as the Tornados got a pair of baserunners aboard with one out. The Scots were able to escape the jam with a caught stealing out followed by an inning-ending strikeout.
 
Harlow blooped a one-out infield single, and a groundout moved pinch runner Addie MacDougall over to second base with two away in the bottom of the fifth, but a groundout ended BC's scoring chance as Covenant moved six outs away from the doubleheader sweep.
 
Analee Morris, a freshman dual-sport athlete at Brevard College, logged her first collegiate hit with an infield single to lead off the bottom-half of the sixth. That would prove to be all the Tornados could get in the inning, however, as two strikeouts and a fly out sent game two to the seventh.
 
Furr attepted to kickstart a late Tornado rally with a one-out double in the bottom of the last frame, but a groundout and a pop fly gave Covenant its narrow DH sweep.
 
Despite BC being shut out in game two, Boris went 2-for-3 at the dish while Furr logged her second double of the day. Logan Masinsky turned in 4.2 innings of shutout relief work, striking out four Scots in the process.
 
Next up for the Tornados is a trip to the Fast Pitch Dreams Invitational in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where Brevard is scheduled to take part in five total contests – the first of which slated for 3 p.m. against Penn College of Technology.
 
To follow the latest news and updates surrounding Brevard College Athletics, follow the Tornados on Twitter/Instagram @BCTornados, subscribe to 'Brevard College Tornados' on YouTube and SoundCloud, and follow 'Brevard College Tornado Athletics' on Facebook.  In addition, follow 'brevardcollege' on Flickr for photos from BC events.