LITTLE RIVER, S.C. -- The Bridgewater State University softball team opened the 2026 season and its Spring Break trip to Myrtle Beach with an 8-4 setback to the University of Pikeville on Saturday afternoon at the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic.

Pikeville opened the scoring in the bottom of the first as junior Addison Johnson (Pleasant Prairie, Wisc.) reached on an error and scored on an RBI double by junior Maddie Horn (Nicholasville, Ky.).

Bridgewater tied it up in the top of the second. Back-to-back walks to seniors Victoria Becker (Abington, Mass.) and Olyvia Mendonca (Taunton, Mass.) followed by a sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third. Junior Sidney Schwartz (Chelmsford, Mass.) followed with an RBI ground out to make it a 1-1 game.

An RBI groundout by junior Makayla Ansell (Menifee, Calif.) and an RBI single off the bat of sophomore Aubrey Carberry (North Dartmouth, Mass.) put the Bears on top, 3-1, in the top half of the third inning.

Pikeville got a run back in the home half of the third on freshman Alexis Emery's (Stokesdale, N.C.) RBI single.

Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Pikevill sent 11 batters to the plate in a six-run frame to jump ahead 8-3. The innings featured seven hits, including six straight singles to start the frame, a sacrifice fly and a hit batsmen.

Bridgewater capped off the scoring in the top of the sixth as Becker tripled and scored on an RBI groundout.

Senior Chloe Bryant (Logan, W.Va.) picked up the win in relief for Pikeville. Bryant (1-0) allowed just one run on two hits over four innings with a walk and eight strikeouts.

Three BSU pitchers combined to give up eight runs (seven earned) on 11 hits with five walks, a hit by pitch and two strikouts.

Horn paced the Pikeville 11-hit attack as she went 3-for-4 with a double, a run and an RBI.

Becker was the only Bear to reach safely twice as she went 1-for-2 with a triple, walk and two runs scored.