COLUMBUS, Ga. — It was a day of highs and lows for the Stillman College softball team as the Tigers enjoyed the thrill of victory with a walk-off homer against Johnson University in an 8-7 win, but lost the second contest of the day, 9-0, in five innings to wrap participation in the NFCA Leadoff Classic on Saturday.
Game 1 - Stillman 8, Johnson City 7
Avary Lumpkin put the Tigers on the board in the bottom of the first with a solo homer.
Then, in the third,
Addison Nuspl smashed a one-out double to bring in
Lily Stone.
The Tigers found themselves trailing 6-2 in the fourth until
Molly Neal notched a two-run double in the fourth, bringing in
Ja'Kayla Moore and
Katelyn Lankford to cut the lead to 6-4.
Alex Erwin brought Stillman even closer in the fifth, where she smacked a triple to centerfield, and later scored on a passed ball to move the tally to 6-5.
Johnson City added a run in the top of the seventh, taking a 7-5 advantage, and setting the stage for the dramatic finish. In the bottom of the inning, with Erwin and Stone aboard, Lumpkin hit her second homer of the day in walk-off fashion to claim the 8-7 victory.
Karli Crocker went the distance in the opener, worked all seven innings, and delivered a strikeout, and allowed 12 hits and three earned runs.
Game 2 - Truett McConnell 9, Stillman 0
The Tigers put runners on base early but couldn't convert scoring chances in a 9-0 loss to Truett McConnell University.
Stillman was limited to two hits in the five-inning contest while Truett McConnell used a series of multi-run innings to pull away.
The Tigers threatened in the second inning when
Anna Sullivan singled to left, and
Katelyn Lankford followed with a base hit down the left-field line. With two aboard and one out, the Tigers looked poised to strike, but a fielder's choice and strikeout ended the inning without a run.
Stillman again put a runner on in the fourth. Sullivan drew a walk, and
Molly Neal entered as a pinch runner, advancing into scoring position on a groundout. The Tigers were unable to bring her home as Truett McConnell recorded the final out of the frame.
In the fifth, Stillman looked for a late spark when
Kaitlyn Owens stepped in as a pinch hitter, but the Tigers were retired in order to end the game.
Faith Byram started for Stillman and worked three innings, allowing five runs on seven hits with two strikeouts.
Michaela Otts pitched the final two innings, recording two strikeouts while allowing four runs.
Up Next:
Stillman College prepares for a trip to Fairfield, Alabama, to face an NCAA Division II opponent in the Miles College Golden Bears in a doubleheader on March 3, starting at 1 p.m.
