TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Both games played by the Stillman College softball teams came down to the wire as big hits, including a walk-off grand slam led to a doubleheader sweep for the Lady Tigers over the University of Tennessee Southern Firehawks Monday evening at the Stillman Softball Complex. Stillman won the first game 8-7 and the second contest 10-7.
Game 1 - Stillman 8, Tennessee Southern 7
Neither team could scratch a run across in the first two innings, then an explosion of offense came in the third as the teams combined for 11 total runs.
UTS started in the top of the inning with six runs total runs and RBIs from five different Firehawks. Stella Gilbreath capped the inning by scoring on a wild pitch.
The Lady Tigers (4-2) responded with five runs in the bottom of the inning with some power as
Avary Lumpkin blasted her second homer of the season to right field and brought in
Lily Stone. Two batters later
Carolyn Carter hit her second home run of the season, and it went for two RBIs as
Madison Bubel scored.
Chaluncie Denny finished the inning and scored on a wild pitch to bring the massive inning to 6-5 in favor of the Firehawks.
In the fourth, Haley McDaniel scored as Hannah Lindsey grounded out to the shortstop and gave Tennesee Southern a 7-5 lead.
However, in the bottom of the sixth, the Tigers stormed back starting with a two-RBI double from Lumpkin to bring in Stone and Mykyleigh Hollinger to tie the game at 7-7. Bubel wrapped the comeback with a single to right-center field for an RBI to bring in
Ariana Lopez to reach the 8-7 final.
Jasmine Wade started the contest, went three innings, and allowed eight hits, six earned runs and two walks.
Faith Byram (1-2) earned the win in three innings of work. She allowed four hits and one earned run.
Game 2 - Stillman 10, Tennessee Southern 7
The second contest did not suffer from a slow start as UTS scored four runs in the first inning capped by a three-RBI double to left center by Gilbreath to clear the bases and put the visitors up 4-0.
Stillman responded with two runs in the bottom of the first as Stone singled to the shortstop to bring in
Lauren Haskins. Carter followed with an infield single to score Stone for an RBI and move the score to 4-2.
Karli Davidson tied the game in the fourth with a home run, her second of the season, to left field which brought in Carter for a 4-4 tie.
The Firehawks reclaimed the lead in the fifth with two RBIs from McDaniel and another from Gilbreath to push the lead to 7-4.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh and the bases loaded,
Alex Erwin showed incredible patience to draw a walk to bring the Lady Tigers within a run at 7-6. Haskins then clinched the win with a walk-off grand slam as Carter,
Molly Neal, and Erwin all touched home to cap a second Stillman comeback with the 10-7 victory.
Avary Lumpkin pitched 4.1 innings and allowed eight hits, six earned runs and four walks.
Jasmine Wade (2-0) grabbed the win in 2.2 innings of relief work, retired all seven batters she faced, and induced five groundouts to seal the game defensively.
After an exciting home opener, the Stillman College softball team returns to the road for the William Carey University invite in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The Lady Tigers face Georgetown College on Friday, Feb. 14 at 2 p.m. and William Carey at 6 p.m. the same day.
