COLUMBUS, Ga. – Thomas University softball opened the NFCA NAIA Leadoff Classic with an 8-0 victory over No. 5 Brenau (Ga.) Friday afternoon at the South Commons Softball Complex.
Thomas, which is receiving votes in the polls, is now 7-2 against nationally ranked teams, after falling, 11-1, in the second game to No. 8 William Carey (Miss.). TU is 15-4 on the season.
The Night Hawks return to the field Saturday to face Saint Ambrose (Iowa) at 12:30 p.m., then No. 12 Campbellsville (Ky.) at 3:30 p.m. On Sunday, TU will battle (RV) Georgetown (Ky.) at 11:30 a.m.
Game One
Thomas put up seven in the fourth and one in the fifth to earn the 8-0 win over No. 5 Brenau (10-3). The Night Hawks connected on eight hits, including a triple by
Kait Stoltz and a double from
Kelsey Connolly. Pitcher
Lauren West earned her eighth win of the season, and sixth over a ranked team, by striking out five and allowing just three hits in 5.0 innings.
Six TU hits led to seven runs in the bottom of the fourth. Connolly started the inning with a base hit, then
A.J. Weiss put down a sac bunt to move Olivia Garcia, who was pinch running for Connolly.
Michael Cooper drew a walk, then six straight plate appearances scored six runs.
Izzy Ekstam plated the first run of the inning with a base hit. Then came a single from
Taisa Kirindongo, Aly Bala reached on an error and
Victoria Camina put down a sac bunt. Then Stoltz tagged a triple and scored on a wild pitch. Mora connected on a base hit, then Connolly doubled to push across the final run of the inning.
In the fifth, Cooper drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch, moved to third on a sac by Kirindongo and scored on a single by Corryne Diaz.
Game Two
In a game with nine errors, five by TU and four from No. 8 William Carey, Thomas was outhit 11-3 and outscored 11-1 in the second game of the day. WCU scored one in the bottom of the first, and Thomas matched in the top of the second, but the Crusaders went on to score one in the second, two in the third and seven in the fourth.
Camina, Ekstam and Diaz each recorded a hit in the game and Ekstam tallied an RBI. On the mound, Rebecca Boesen struck out four, but allowed seven earned runs from nine hits in 3.2 innings to take the loss.
Two hits and two errors led to one run for WCU in the bottom of the first.
Weiss was hit by a pitch to lead off the second inning, advanced on a sac bunt by Kirindongo and moved to third on a passed ball. Ekstam then singled to plate Weiss, TU's lone run of the game.
Two more hits plated one run for the Crusaders in the second, and one error combined with a pair of hits gave William Carey two more in the third. Five two-out singles, a hit by pitch and two errors plated seven in the fourth for WCU.
