Lyon College Sports Wrap

Lyon College baseball takes final game in series at Howard Payne

BROWNWOOD, Texas — Lyon College splits Sunday afternoon doubleheader to close out their road opener series at Howard Payne.

Just as they did yesterday in the series opener, the Scots got off to a quick lead at the top of the first inning when Braden Hendrix scored from third base on a throwing error by Howard Payne.

However, the Yellow Jackets answered quickly and furiously, scoring eight unanswered runs, giving them an 8-1 advantage over the Scots through five frames.

The Scots tacked on another run in the top of the sixth inning when Kooper McCoy scored off an RBI ground out by Braden Bramlett. However, Howard Payne answered with the game’s final two runs in the bottom of the sixth, securing their 10-2 victory over Lyon College in the seven-inning clash.

Blair Francis started on the bump for the Scots, pitching two and two-thirds of an inning, giving up four runs on four hits. The right-handed sophomore out of Eddyville, Iowa, also struck out one batter but walked four, suffering his first loss of the season to make his record 1-1.

Sophomore Ethan Hopkins also pitched for the Scots but could not produce an out, giving up one run on one hit and a walk.

Braden Anderson pitched two innings in the loss, giving up two runs on two hits with one strikeout and walk per piece.

Parker Paschal also pitched an inning and one-third, giving up two runs on three hits and one walk.

Offensively for the Scots, Bramlett had an RBI ground out while Hendrix scored the second run on a throwing error. Hendrix and Andrew James had the only two hits in the game for the Scots.

Lyon College batters struck out 12 times in the game, one loss.

Game two of the doubleheader started with a scoreless first frame, and the Scots struck first in the top of the second inning when Eli Marcotte scored on an RBI single by Bramlett. In the bottom of the frame, the Yellow Jackets answered with two RBI knocks by Landon Prestage and John Garza, giving Howard Payne a one-run lead going into the third.

After a scoreless third, the Scots regained the lead with a two-run top of the fourth, with McCoy scoring on a bases-loaded walk and Ashton Compton scoring from third base on a wild pitch. The Scots then tacked on five more runs in the top of the fifth, starting with Hendrix and Slade Inman scoring on a single by Compton, who also eventually came around to score on a wild pitch. The Scots capped the five-run frame when Charlie Antonopoulos scored on a sacrifice fly by James, making the score 8-2.

Marcotte scored double-digit runs for the Scots in the top of the sixth when he brought Antonopoulos and Compton on a two-run single to center field.

The Yellow Jackets tacked on four more runs in the final two innings, but it wasn’t enough as the Scots secured their first road victory of the 2025 season with a 10-6 final.

Sophomore Aiden Connolly started on the mound for the Scots, going five and one-third of an inning, giving up four runs on four hits. Connolly also struck out one batter while walking three in the win, as he improves to 1-0 on the season.

Kenny Jennings was the lone relief pitcher used by Lyon College in the game, as he went an inning and one-third, giving up two runs on two hits. Jennings also struck out one batter while walking two.

Offensively for the Scots, Marcotte led the way with three RBIs, Compton brought in two, while Bramlett and James each had one RBI. Hendrix, McCoy, Compton, Marcotte, and Bramlett each had a hit in the game, while Compton and Antonopoulos combined for five runs scored.

The Scots will return to action tomorrow, Feb. 25, when they host the University of the Ozarks for an afternoon doubleheader. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Fred Wann Field.

EARLIER: Scots baseball falls 5-4 to start road series at Howard Payne

BROWNWOOD, Texas — Lyon College baseball drops game one of a three-game road series at Howard Payne University on Saturday.

The Scots scored at the top of the first inning when Kooper McCoy singled into left field, scoring Braden Hendrix from second base.

Howard Payne answered back in the bottom of the second, as Scots senior lefty Patrick Babcock gave up his first home run of the season, as Yellow Jacket’s infielder Landon Prestage blasted a solo shot to tie the game, 1-1.

The Score remained 1-1 until the bottom of the fifth, when HPU’s John Garza doubled to left field, scoring William Buford from second. Garza later advanced to third base off a sacrifice bunt by Jace MacKenzie and eventually scored from there off a balk, making the score 3-1 in favor of the Yellow Jacket.

Prestage tacked on to HPU’s lead with his second solo homer in the bottom of the sixth, leaving the Scots trailing 4-1 through six.

In the top of the seventh, Hendrix cut the home team’s lead to two runs after scoring on a wild pitch.

Garza added another run for the Yellow Jackets to reclaim a three-run lead with an RBI single to left, scoring Prestage from third, making the score 5-2.

The Scots tried to claw back in the top of the ninth, as they came within one run after Ashton Compton smacked a two-run double into the right-center field alley, scoring McCoy and Slade Inman. However, it was not enough, as the Scots eventually fell by the final score of 5-4.

Babcock started on the mound for the Scots, pitching four and one-thirds of an inning, giving up three runs on five hits. He also struck out five batters while only walking one.

Braden Anderson pitched in relief for Babcock, pitching an inning and one-third, giving up a run on two hits.

Parker Paschal also pitch two-thirds of an inning for the Scots, striking out two batters while walking three.

In relief of Paschal, Kenny Jennings also pitched two-thirds of an inning, striking out one.

Nick Dennington made the final pitching appearance for the Scots in the game, going one inning and giving up one run on two hits. He also struck out two batters while walking one.

Offensively for Lyon College, Compton led the way with two RBIs while McCoy tacked on another, the other run for the Scots was scored on an error by HPU. Inman. McCoy, and Compton each led with two hits, while Hendrix, Walker Smith, and Logan Lightner each had one hit.

Madison scores 31 in Scots loss to Greenville, 113-104

Malik Madison scored 31 points, eight rebounds, and five blocked shots to lead the Lyon College Scots against Greenville on Saturday afternoon at Becknell Gymnasium.

The Scots (17-8 and 14-4) also got 20 points and eight assists from Frank Toney, while Kylon McCullough had 15 points and 11 rebounds in a 113-104 loss to Greenville in the final regular season SLIAC game.

Luke Bridges added eight points that included a wide-open dunk, while John Paul Morgan put in seven points and nine rebounds, Trenton Bell added seven points and had 12 rebounds, Johnzell Bush had five points, Warren Kennedy added four points, Tucker Cunningham put in three points. In comparison, Colbie West and Hudson Rogers put in two points each. Gavin Brunson and Isaiah Sweetwine played but did not score in the game.

Lyon College shot 51.4 percent from the floor, made 5 of 16 three-pointers, and hit 23 of 35 free throws. The Scots scored 60 points in the paint, put 24 points off of Greenville turnovers, had 15 second-chance points, 34 fast-break points, and got 24 points from the bench. The score was tied once, and there were two lead changes.

Greenville jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first half before Madison had a dunk. Madison made two free throws, and Toney scored on a layup, then a free throw from Morgan made it a 9-7 game at the 17:28 mark. Bell made a three-pointer to give the Scots the lead with 16:41 to play in the first half, 12-11, but Greenville came back to take the lead on a trey.

McCullough made a jumper to tie the game at 14-14, but Greenville hit another three-pointer. Madison added two free throws to cut the lead to one point, but Greenville continued to make three-pointers. Madison put in a layup, but Greenville scored six points in a row before Bridges put in a layup for Lyon College to make it 26-20.

Warren made a free throw, and Bridges got a dunk for the Scots to cut the lead to five points, 28-23 with 12:42 to play in the first half. McCullough added a free throw and hit a layup to make it a 30-26 game at the 10:29 mark, then Madison put down a dunk to close the gap to two points, 30-28. Madison had another dunk for the Scots to make it 31-30, but Greenville made the next five points before Madison had another dunk with 8:23 to go in the half, 36-32.

Greenville answered with a three-pointer, but Madison got free for another dunk to make it 39-34. Bell made a three-pointer to answer Greenville’s trey, and McCullough got a dunk to make it 42-39 with 7:12 left in the half. Bell made a free throw to cut the Greenville lead to four points, 44-40, and Bridges made two of two from the line after a Greenville basket.

Greenville went on a 9-0 run to go up by 13 points before Cunningham and Toney made free throws. Morgan added two free throws for the Scots with 3:12 to go, and Madison put in a layup to cut the Greenville lead down to 10 points, 59-49, with 1:57 remaining in the first half. Cunningham scored again to make it an eight-point game, but Greenville upped its lead to 65-51 with 45 seconds left.

Madison got another dunk, and Toney put in a layup, but Greenville finished the first half with a three-pointer to lead by 13, 68-55.

Morgan scored the first basket of the second half, McCullough put in a layup, and Madison got another dunk, which was followed by a McCullough layup to make it a three-point Greenville lead, 68-65, with 17:31 to go in the game. Toney added a layup off a fast-break to trim it to one point, but Greenville hit a three-pointer, got two free throws, and made a layup to go up by eight points.

Toney made a jump shot, and West scored inside for Lyon College, but Greenville continued to lead by eight points. Toney made a three-pointer for the Scots, but Greenville answered with a basket. Bush made a three-pointer for Lyon College to cut the lead to 81-77 with 11:13 left in the contest. Greenville quickly upped that lead to 10 points before Madison scored inside.

Greenville made another three-pointer and added a layup, and then Toney scored for the Scots. McCullough put in a layup at 8:29 to make it 92-83. Morgan scored, Bridges put in a basket, then Greenville scored to lead 97-87 with 6:40 to go. Warren put in a layup and made a free throw, then Toney hit a jumper to make it 99-92 with 4:51 left, but Greenville went up by 10 points again before Bush made two free throws, and Madison added a free throw with 3:35 remaining to make it 105-95.

Greenville went up by 14 points seconds later on two made shots, but Madison made another free throw, Rogers made two free throws, then McCullough hit a layup, and Toney canned a three-pointer with 1:25 left in the game to cut the Greenville lead to 109-103.

Madison made a free throw, but Greenville made four more free throws to win.

The Scots are not eligible for the SLIAC post-season, so they await a bid on March 3 to the USCAA Small College National Tournament in Buffalo the following week. Lyon College finished as runners-up in the tournament last year.

Kaza scores 28 to lead Lyon College in 105-102 loss to Greenville

Natalya Kaza led the Lyon College Scots women’s basketball team with 28 points in a 105-102 loss to Greenville on Senior Day at Becknell Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.

It was the final SLIAC game of the season.

The Scots finish the year 8-17 overall and 5-13 in conference play. Against Greenville, Lyon College trailed 23-19 after the first quarter but returned to take a 47-40 halftime lead. The Scots outscored Greenville 30-21 in the third quarter to lead 67-51, but Greenville stormed back with 44 points in the fourth period to take the lead in the final seconds.

Along with Kaza, who also had seven rebounds and six assists, lone Scots senior Haven Cooper scored 18 points, Dayle Hambelton had 15 points and nine assists, Savanna Lopez had 14 points, eight rebounds, and five blocked shots, and Jewel Walley scored 11 points. Others to score for Lyon College included nine points from Molly Mason and four points from Alexis Shelton. Savannah Stout had a three-pointer, two steals, and three assists, while Olivia Jones and Izabel Soto played in the game and did not score.

The Scots scored 28 points in the paint, had 32 points off of Greenville turnovers, scored 14 second-chance points, had 27 points on fast breaks, and got 18 points from their bench.

The score was tied five times, and there were seven lead changes.

Mason started the scoring for Lyon College with a three-point play, but Greenville came back to go up 9-3 before Kaza hit a three-pointer. Hambleton made a three-pointer, and Lopez scored for the Scots to tie the game at 11-11 with 5:31 to go in the first quarter.

Lopez put Lyon in front with a jump shot, but Greenville returned to take a 14-13 lead at 4:16.

Hambleton put in a layup, and Lopez put in another shot to put the Scots up 17-14, but Greenville made three free throws in a row to tie the game and take a one-point lead, then hit a shot to go up by three points. Shelton made two free throws for the Scots with 1:23 to go in the first period, and Greenville scored the final three points.

Stout made a three-pointer to start the second quarter for Lyon College. Kaza scored on a layup and put in a three-pointer for a 27-25 Scots lead with 6:33 to go before halftime. Lopez hit her third basket to lift Lyon to a four-point lead seconds later, then Cooper made a three-pointer for a seven-point advantage at the 5:07 mark, 32-25. Mason made a three-pointer, and Kaza put in two straight layups to make it 39-26 with 3:49 to go in the first half.

Hambelton added a three-pointer to make it a 16-point margin for Lyon College 42-26. Greenville got back to within 11 points, but Kaza made two free throws, then made one of two from the line, and Shelton put in two free throws with 29 seconds left to make it a 47-35 game, but Greenville made a seven-point game at the break.

Kaza opened the third quarter with a three-pointer for the Scots, then Mason followed with a trey to make it a 53-41 lead, but Greenville came back to get within eight points. Lopez made two free throws to break the 1,000-point mark in her career with eight minutes to play in the quarter. Walley put in a layup, Kaza hit inside, and then Lopez and Cooper scored to increase the Scots lead back to 16 points, 63-47, with 5:30 to go in the period.

Greenville cut the lead to 11 points again, but Walley made two three-pointers in a row to up the Scots lead to 69-52 with 3:12 left. Cooper made a three-pointer and put in a layup, then Walley made another three-pointer for a 77-59 Lyon College lead with 43 seconds to play in the third quarter.

Lopez made a jump shot to give the Scots their largest lead at 18 points, 79-61, to start the fourth quarter. Greenville came back to cut the lead to seven points, 79-72, with 7:42 to play in the game before Kaza made two free throws, and Cooper scored two times in a row to push Lyon’s lead to 13 points, 85-72, with 6:19 to play. Kaza scored twice and put in a free throw with five minutes to play to make it 90-76.

Cooper made a free throw, but Greenville cut down the Scots lead by nine points before Hambelton made two free throws with 3:20 left, 93-82. Kaza made another free throw after Lopez fouled out for Lyon College. Greenville answered with two three-pointers to make it a four-point game with 2:05 to play, 94-90.

Cooper made a three-pointer with 1:41 to go to make it a seven-point lead for Lyon. Greenville cut the score to three points before Hambelton made two free throws with 54 seconds to go. Greenville made a three-pointer, and Hambelton made two more free throws to make it 101-97 with 40 seconds to play.

Greenville made a three-pointer to make it a one-point game seconds later and was able to tie the game at 101-101 with 32 seconds left. Hambelton made another free throw to put the Scots up, but Mason fouled out; Greenville made the following two free throws for the lead at the 25-second mark, then added two more free throws with three seconds to play.

Scots Track & Field set three indoor school records at the SEMO Redhawks Open.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Missouri — Lyon College Track & Field competed at Southeastern Missouri State University’s 2025 Redhawks Open.

James McNew finished first in men’s one-mile run as the Scots broke three more records at the competition. Samantha Love set a new indoor school record in the women’s high jump with a mark of 1.40, Lana Ballard set the new indoor school record in the women’s long jump with a mark of 4.53, and Aziza Takhi set the new indoor school record for the women’s weight throw with a mark of 9.46.

For the full results of the competition, visit HERE.

Women’s 55-Meter Run
– Lana Ballard finished 11th with a time of 7.87
– Lakendra Bishop finished 12th with a time of 8.29

Men’s 55-Meter Run
– Emmanuel White finished 10th with a time of 6.92
– Xiyiah Spencer-Cole finished 11th with a time of 7.03
– Gabriel Morris finished 12th with a time of 7.13
– Michael Woods-Caw finished 13th with a time of 7.25
– Ashton Dunn finished 14th with a time of 7.36
– Sean Hall finished 15th with a time of 7.67

Women’s One-Mile Run
– Olivia Letkey finished 2nd with a time of 6:20.75

Men’s One-Mile Run
– James McNew finished 1st with a time of 5:13.61
– Danny Thomas finished 2nd with a time 5:37.28
– Noah Cordes finished 3rd with a time of 5:50.48
– Andrew Hernandez finished 4th with a time of 5:57.81

Men’s 55-Meter Hurdles
– Jakobe Alcorn finished 3rd with a time of 9.33

Women’s High Jump
– Samantha Love finished 3rd with a mark of 1.40 (new indoor school record)

Men’s High Jump
– Jakobe Alcorn finished 3rd with a mark of 1.71
– Sawyer Seat finished 4th with a mark of 1.71

Women’s Long Jump
– Lana Ballard finished 9th with a mark of 4.53 (new indoor school record)

Men’s Long Jump
– Xiyiah Spencer-Cole finished 3rd with a mark of 6.19
– Sawyer Seat finished 7th with a mark of 5.85
– Michael Woods-Caw finished 9th with a mark of 5.56

Women’s Shot Put
– Aziza Takhi finished 13th with a mark of 8.09

Men’s Shot Put
– Sean Hall finished 11th with a mark of 9.38

Women’s Weight Throw
– Aziza Takhi finished 8th with a mark of 9.46 (new indoor school record)

Scots upset first-place Spalding 66-60

Malik Madison scored a season-high 21 points and had seven blocked shots and nine rebounds to lead the Lyon College Scots men’s basketball team over the SLIAC’s leader, Spalding, 66-60 on Thursday night at Becknell Gymnasium.

The Scots (17-7, 14-3) didn’t secure the game until the final 14 seconds when Madison made one of two free throws, and John Paul Morgan stepped to the line with three seconds left and made two free throws to put the game out of reach.

The Scots outscored Spalding 36-23 in the first half and held on at the end to withstand a final push for the win.
Kylon McCullough scored 13 points, Colbie West scored 11 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, and Frank Toney added seven points and 11 assists. Trenton Bell scored six points, while John Paul Morgan and Jonzelle Bush scored four points each in the win. Kennedy Warren and Tucker Cunningham played but did not score in the game.

Lyon College shot 46.4 percent from the field, hit only 1 of 10 three-pointers, and made 13 of 21 free throws. The Scots got 44 points in the paint, scored eight points off turnovers, and had 10 second-chance points, 14 fast-break points, and 14 bench points.

The game was tied four times, and there were three lead changes.

Spalding led early until Madison scored to tie the game at 2-2. After Spalding regained the lead, West scored inside to tie the game at 4-4. A dunk from McCullough moved the Scots in front by two, and Spalding tied the game at 6-6 with 17:02 to go in the first half. West scored again inside, but Spalding tied it at 8-8 on its next trip down the court. McCullough put in a three-pointer, but Spalding came back to take a 12-11 advantage with 13:14 to play.

Two dunks in a row from Madison opened up a three-point lead for the Scots, and Bush got free on a fast-break for a dunk to make it a 17-12 Lyon College lead with 11:44 to go in the half. Bush put in a layup, and Bell scored inside to give the Scots a nine-point lead, 21-12. Madison completed a three-point play to make it a 10-point lead, 24-14, at the 9:17 mark, and Toney scored a basket after that. Morgan and West scored to keep the Scots lead at 10 points, 30-20, with 5:23 left, then McCullough scored, Toney put in a shot, and West scored on a jumper to make it a 36-23 Lyon College lead with 35 seconds remaining in the first half.

McCullough put in a layup, and West scored inside as the Scots maintained a 13-point lead, 40-27, with 17:50 to go in the game. Madison scored two times in a row to give Lyon College its largest lead of the game at 15 points, 44-29 with 14:42 to go. Madison added another basket at the 13:45 mark to keep the lead again at 15 points and did it again with 12 minutes to go on a three-point play to make it 49-34, but Spalding started to chip away at the Scots lead.

After McCullough made two free throws, Spalding trimmed a 15-point lead down to eight points before Toney made a free throw with 8:29 to play in the game. Spalding had the lead down to seven points when Bell scored for the Scots, then Toney and West added a single free throw each to make it a 56-48 Scots lead.

Toney put in another free throw, but Spalding got as close as two points with 3:05 to go, 57-55. Madison got a dunk off an alley-oop from Toney, but Spalding made a three-pointer with 2:18 to play, making it a 59-58 lead for Lyon College.

Bell scored inside on a layup, and McCullough added two free throws with 1:25 remaining, but Spalding trimmed the lead back to three pints, 63-60, with 48 seconds on the clock. Spalding got a steal and started to go for a basket, but Bell stole the ball back for the Scots and passed to Madison, who was fouled with 14 seconds to go. Madison connected on one of two free throws to make it a four-point lead for Lyon. Spalding missed a three-pointer, and Morgan got the rebound for the Scots and was fouled with three seconds left on the clock.

Lyon College women’s basketball drops 79-60 decision to Spalding

The Lyon College women’s basketball team lost to visiting Spalding on Thursday night 79-60 in a SLIAC game at Becknell Gymnasium.

The Scots (8-16, 5-12) were behind 15-14 after the first quarter and trailed 36-26 at halftime. Spalding outscored Lyon College 14-13 in the third quarter and 29-21 in the final period to win by 19 points.

Natalya Kaza led the Scots with 18 points, Savanna Lopez scored 14, and Dalye Hambelton added 10. Savannah Stout scored five points, Alexis Shelton and Haven Cooper scored four points each, Emily Walley scored three, and Olivia Jones scored two. Jewel Walley, Izabel Soto, and Olivia Wallace all played in the game and did not score.

Lyon College shot 33 percent from the field and made 5 of 16 three-pointers and 11 of 16 free throws on the night. The Scots scored 16 points in the paint, had 12 points off of turnovers, did not have any second-chance points, scored 14 points off the fast-break, and got 14 points from the bench.

The game was tied one time, and there was one lead change.

Kaza gave the Scots their only lead with a layup in the game’s opening seconds, but Spalding raced out to a 10-2 lead by the mid-point of the first quarter. Cooper and Hambelton scored, then Lopez made a jump shot, and Kaza hit a three-pointer with 1:23 in the opening period to make it a 15-11 game. Kaza completed a three-point in the final seconds to cut the Spalding lead to one point, 15-14.

Spalding led by five points before Lopez hit from the paint with 8:32 to go before halftime, then Emily Walley tied the game at 19-19 with a three-pointer at the 7:28 mark. Spalding went on a 10-0 run to lead 29-19 before Stout made a three-pointer for Lyon. Lopez scored twice before the end of the half, but Spalding maintained a 10-point advantage, 36-26.

Hambelton quickly cut the lead to seven points with a three-pointer to start the third quarter for the Scots. Stout put in two free throws, but Spalding managed to go up by 13 points before Kaza made one of two free throws and hit a jumper to cut the lead back to 10 with 3:02 to go in the period, 44-34. Lopez put in another basket, and Kaza hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to nine points, but Spalding scored the final basket to lead by 11 points by the end of the third quarter, 50-39.

Shelton put in two free throws, but Spalding increased its lead to 16 points before Kaza’s layup made it 57-43 with 8:06 to play. Cooper scored inside, and Hambelton made two free throws to make it 61-47, but Spalding hit a three-pointer to go up by 17 points with 6:29 to go. Hambelton completed a three-point play to cut the lead back to 14, 64-50, and Kaza made two free throws at the 5:30 mark to make it 64-52. Shelton put in a layup, but Spalding scored to go up by 22 points with 1:57 remaining, 76-54. Lopez scored, Jones put in a basket, and Lopez made another shot with 16 seconds to go to account for the final score.

Images: Lyon College Athletics