TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Stillman College Softball returned home Thursday with an added non-conference doubleheader against former Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe Lane College. The Tigers swept the Dragons (19-5), 7-2 and 5-1.
Mackenzie Kirby led Stillman with four hits on the day, while
Lauren Haskins had three hits and stole four bases in the doubleheader, raising her season total to 25 through 20 games played.
The wins move Stillman to 3-3 against NCAA Division II competition since moving to the NAIA in 2017. It was Stillman's first competition against a former SIAC foes since an 8-5 win over Claflin University on March 22, 2017, when the Tigers were coached by current Lane College head coach Joel Worthington. The doubleheader was Stillman's first games against Lane since sweeping a three-game SIAC series in 2016 and moves the Tigers to 23-0 against the Dragons since 2011.
GAME 1: STILLMAN 7, LANE 2
Lauren Haskins displayed her speed in the bottom of the first inning, leading off Stillman's day with a bunt single before stealing both second and third bases.
Mackenzie Kirby singled through the left side to give Stillman a 1-0 lead, and
Savannah Mayes later drove in two runs in the inning to put the Tigers in front, 3-0.
Brooklyn Pennington singled to center in the fourth inning to provide an insurance run, 4-2, before Lane College drove in two in the fifth. Ava Mearideth, who hit 2-for-3 to lead Lane, singled in two runs for the Dragons.
Kirby, who hit 3-for-3 in the game, led off the bottom of the fifth with a single to center. A pair of errors later extended the inning and helped push three unearned runs across for Stillman.
Taylor Roland drove in one with a sac bunt RBI and reached safely on an error on the play.
Mayes hit 2-for-4 to follow Kirby's lead, while Haskins, Pennington and
Anniston Jones each had one hit.
Elisabeth Boso (3-1) earned the win, pitching 4.2 innings, allowing two runs of two hits and a walk. She struck out five.
Faith Byram came in to close out the fifth inning and protect a two-run Stillman lead. She picked up her first career save, allowing only one hit through 2.1 scoreless innings.
GAME 2: STILLMAN 5, LANE 1
Lane College took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an error that followed an Ava Mearideth single.
Lauren Haskins doubled up the middle to start the bottom of the first inning. She went on to steal third base with two outs, adding pressure to the defense. With Haskins on third,
Madison Bubel put the Tigers in front, 2-1 with a two-run home run to left field, her second home run of the season.
Stillman pushed across three more runs in the fifth inning on a sac fly by
Savannah Mayes that also advanced Bubel to third base. Bubel went on to score on a wild pitch before
Katelyn Lankford drove in
Mackenzie Kirby with an RBI groundout.
Haskins, Bubel and
Katelynn Madison each hit 2-for-3 in the game. Lankford,
Mackenzie Kirby and Brookyln Pennington each had one hit.
Jasmine Wade (2-0) earned the complete game win, allowing only one unearned run off seven hits and three walks. With help of her defense, she stranded seven Lane base runners in the second through seventh innings. She recorded three strikeouts.
Millay Lambert led Lane with two hits. Autumn Phillips recorded the loss in the circle.
NEXT: Stillman (17-5, 3-4 SSAC) also pick up two forfeit wins this week, as Talladega College has forfeited the remainder of its conference schedule, including the March 17 games against Stillman and will forfeit two games in April. With the forfeits, Stillman matches its most conference wins since joining the Southern States Athletic Conference in 2019. The Tigers will now return to SSAC play Saturday when they travel to Faulkner University for a 2 p.m. doubleheader.
