BREVARD, N.C. – The Brevard College softball team (9-13, 1-3 USA South) made its first appearance at the BC Softball Field in 18 games, competing in a USA South Conference doubleheader against Salem (6-16, 1-1 USAS) on Tuesday afternoon.
 
The Tornados cruised in the first game, scoring seven runs in the second and three in the fourth to surge past the Spirits 10-2 in five innings. Trailing by six runs entering the bottom of the seventh in game two, BC put together a stellar rally, scoring five runs while placing the tying run at third base, but the Spirits closed the contest out to complete a 10-9 victory in a thriller.
   
Salem struck first with a pair of runs in the top of the first to take the early 2-0 edge, but Brevard responded in a big way with seven runs in the bottom of the second.
 
Rylee Locklear led the frame off with a triple to right-center field, followed by Andrea Furr's RBI single through the right side of the infield, trimming the deficit in half. Anna Graves got on base with a bunt single, and with runners on second and third, Emma Payne dropped a double down the left-field line to give the Tornados the lead, 3-2.
 
In her first game hitting of 2026, starting pitcher Elizabeth Auciello tripled to left-center field to plate BC's fourth run of the inning. Addison Smith then singled to left field to bring Auciello in, putting the Tornados up by three, 5-2.
 
Alyssa Boris kept the line moving with an RBI single up the middle, and Furr notched her second RBI of the frame with another opposite-field single.
 
Despite the two-run first, Auciello (4-5) held the Spirits off the board for the remainder of the contest, striking out five batters without a walk in the complete-game effort. BC finished off the run-rule win with three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Furr roped an RBI double to center field, scoring Locklear, before Graves ripped an RBI triple to right-center field. Hayden Moody's RBI groundout put BC over the threshold, and Auciello held Salem off the board in the top of the fifth for the complete team win.
   
Game two began much like the first contest, as the Spirits took the early 1-0 lead on an RBI groundout. BC responded in a big way, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first. Boris singled home Emily Hill with no outs, tying the score at one run each while keeping the bases loaded. Lockkear then dropped a single into right, scoring Addison Smith and Regan Winkler to put the Tornados up by two.
 
Salem put runners on the corners with one out in the top of the third, and a dropped popup followed by a two-RBI triple and a sacrifice fly put the Spirits back in front, 5-3.
 
Locklear led the bottom of the third off with a triple, followed immediately by Furr's RBI double that cut the deficit in half. However, the Spirits locked in, managing three consecutive outs to keep the advantage.
 
Salem built its lead up to a six-run margin with three runs in the fourth and two runs in the sixth. BC went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth before its fateful seventh-inning comeback effort.
 
Winkler drew a leadoff walk, and Locklear drew a walk on a full count with one out. Furr singled up the middle to bring Winkler around before Graves drew a four-pitch walk that loaded the bases. Moody's bases-loaded walk pushed Locklear across, and Payne sent a sacrifice fly to center field that pulled BC within three runs, 10-7.
 
Addie MacDougall stepped to the dish in a pinch-hit situation and doubled down the third-base line, scoring Graves to bring the Tornados within two. Smith then poked an infield single that put runners on the corners with two away, but Madison Talley (Sv 1) got a looking K to end the game and give the Spirits their first conference win of the season.
 
Five Tornados accumulated multiple base hits in the contest, with Winkler going 3-for-4 to lead the way. Furr and MacDougall each notched doubles, while Locklear tallied a triple. Over the course of the two contests, the Tornados scored 19 runs on 19 hits with 19 RBI and eight extra-base hits. Brevard has accumulated double-digit base knocks seven times in 2026 now.
 
BC returns to action at home on Friday vs. Mary Baldwin with the doubleheader currently scheduled to begin at 12 p.m.
 
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