CULLMAN, Ala.- The Cullman Lady Bearcats welcomed rival Jasper on Tuesday evening for their first area game of 2026, and sent the Vikings home with a 6-1 loss.
The Bearcats, with the win, improved their record to 13-2 on the year.
Starting, and eventually finishing, the game for Cullman was Kynlei Storey. The 5-8 junior showed excellent command across all seven innings, throwing 85 pitches and finishing with six hits, one earned run, six strikeouts and the win.
“It always starts with the pitcher. She stayed ahead and attacked the hitters, she forced them to go into defensive mode and did a great job setting the tone for us and letting the defense work. She hit spots, got soft contact and we made the routine plays behind her,” Bearcats head coach Drew Bryson said.
After getting a ground out to open the game and striking out a batter in the top of the first, Storey gave up the first of three extra base hits on the day. The Vikings’ third baseman, Lexi Kilgore, lined a ball to the gap for a double, but she recovered with a pop out on a high pitch to end the inning.
Leading off the game for Cullman’s offense, Abby Maples drilled a liner to the outfield and turned two to quickly get in scoring position. Dracen Bates was slotted in the cleanup spot, and took full advantage of an already-rattled Butler. On a fastball right down the middle, Bates mashed a home run to left-center field to put the Bearcats up 2-0.
The top of the second went even better for Storey, striking out the first two batters she faced and getting some help finishing a one-two-three inning with a slick throw from Sam Johnson to put out Jasper’s Natalie Pittman. While two Cullman baserunners (Storey and Haylee Little) made it on in the second by way of walks, Vikings pitcher Bryleigh Butler got out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts and a pop out. In the third, she wouldn’t be so lucky.
After the near-perfect second, Storey continued her great start. A quick pop-out was followed by a strikeout, but at the plate Butler stepped in, and to help make up for the homer she gave up on the mound, took a ball for a ride to right field to put Jasper on the board, with Cullman still leading 2-1.
Storey gave up another hit shortly after, but a ground out got her out of the inning. On offense, Hattie Graham was walked to lead things off in the third. Johnson stepped to the plate, seemingly on a mission to make sure no momentum was to be had after Jasper’s score. On a 2-1 count, Johnson smoked a ball over the center field fence for a 2 RBI homer to make it 4-1 Bearcats.
After Graham picked off a baserunner to end a scoreless fourth for Storey, the Bearcats added to their lead. Little got on base after a walk, and stole second after a wild throw got by Jasper’s first baseman. Maples then knocked her in with a hard grounder got past the infield, extending Cullman’s lead to 5-1.
Storey threw another one-two-three inning in the top of the sixth, setting the stage for Cullman’s offense to finish the game off. In almost identical fashion to the fourth inning, Maples knocked in Little, who was on base after a walk. The Bearcats went up 6-1 and took the win after Storey got out of a jam in the top of the seventh.
“We got a great ball club. We knew going in we had a great ball club, they had a tough year last year, but the potential was there. That’s the one thing since June that we’ve talked about- talked to them throughout the summer and the fall and up to this point now, ‘We’re really good, we just got to play like it, and believe it.’ I think we’ve gotten off to a really good start, this puts us at 13-2. I think the girls have started to see, ‘Hey, we are good. When we do things right, we’re a really good team and the expectation when we walk through the gate is that we’re gonna win the ballgame,” Bryson said.
The Bearcats return to action at home on Thursday night at 4:30, where they’ll take on the Arab Knights.
