NORTHPORT, Ala. – It was a day of highs and lows for the Stillman College softball team. The Tigers defeated Oakwood 9-0 in an elimination game to advance to the best-of-three HBCU Athletic Conference series against the Dillard University Bleu Devils. However, Stillman dropped the first game of the series 1-0 to Dillard on Monday evening at River Run Park.
Game 1: Stillman 9, Oakwood 0
Stillman erupted for five runs in the first inning and never looked back, shutting out Oakwood 9-0.
Stillman wasted no time taking control.
Alex Erwin ignited the offense by stealing second, advancing to third on a throwing error, and scoring the game's first run. Moments later,
Anna Sullivan added a sacrifice bunt to bring home
Lily Stone and make it 2-0.
The Tigers kept the pressure on as
Katelyn Lankford doubled to left-center to score
Avary Lumpkin, and
Addison Nuspl followed with an RBI single to push the lead to 4-0. Erwin capped the inning with an RBI walk, plating
Olivia Hobson for a five-run advantage.
Stillman extended the lead in the third inning.
Makynli Kidd scored on a fielder's choice by Erwin to make it 6-0. Shortly after, Nuspl stole third and crossed the plate on a catcher's error, extending the lead to seven.
The Tigers continued to capitalize on miscues as
Lily Stone tripled to right field to bring home Erwin, and Lumpkin later scored Stone on a wild pitch to complete the scoring at 9-0.
In the circle,
Faith Byram was dominant, tossing a complete-game shutout while allowing just two hits and striking out two.
Stillman totaled nine hits and took advantage of multiple Oakwood errors to fuel the run-rule victory.
Game 2: Dillard 1, Stillman 0
A single extra-base hit proved to be the difference as Stillman fell to Dillard 1-0 in a tightly contested matchup.
Dillard broke through in the second inning when Grace Hunter doubled to right field, scoring Brooklyn Baltzell for the game's only run.
Stillman threatened at times but could not capitalize, managing just three hits in the contest.
Alex Erwin accounted for one of the Tigers' few offensive sparks, adding a hit and a stolen base.
Karli Crocker delivered a strong outing in the circle for Stillman, allowing just one run on seven hits over six innings while striking out three.
Dillard's Kylie Price was equally effective, holding the Tigers scoreless across seven innings and limiting Stillman to three hits.
Up Next:
Stillman has to win two tomorrow against Dillard to become the HBCUAC Softball Tournament Champions. That quest starts at 12 p.m., with the if necessary game taking place at 2:30 p.m.
