COLUMBUS, Ga. – The Thomas University softball team entered the NFCA Leadoff Classic ready to go toe-to-toe with some of the nation's best teams, with the Night Hawks proving to be elite, winning both contests Friday at the South Commons Complex in Columbus.

Game One (TU 2, EU 1 – 8 inn.)

The Night Hawks (4-5, 0-0 SUN) saw game one of the tournament go to extras, as the low scoring affair ended in favor of TU after a Corryne Diaz double brought home Holly Campbell to walk it off as the home team in the tournament-opening contest, 2-1. 

Senior pitcher Larran Carter got the nod inside the circle, pitching all eight innings and allowing one run in seven hits. 

The scoring opened in the second, as the two-hit inning proved to be the best inning of softball played for Evangel (3-2-1, 0-0 HAAC) with the Valor registering its lone run of the contest, here. 

Thomas would respond in the bottom of the third, after freshman Taylor Lanphere reached first on a hit-by-pitch. Then an error from Evangel's second baseman let Hunter Williams (pinch-running for Lanphere) advance to third before an Averie Sheppard sacrifice fly tied the ballgame at 1-1 heading into the fourth. 

The Night Hawks then saw themselves in another predicament in the top of the fifth, as Carter walked two consecutive batters, her only two walks of the day. With runners on first and second, the senior pitcher trusted her defense, and after an infield popup saw the team rally together for out number two of the inning, the Thomasville, Georgia native once again found her rhythm, reaching deep within her pitching repertoire to register a swinging strikeout, for out number three of the inning. 

The bottom of the fifth saw TU trade an out for a hit, as the Night Hawks found themselves in the same situation with runners on first and second with one out. 

Holly Campbell then hit an infield popup for the second out of the inning, before Dara Moore got walked. With bases loaded and Corrynne Diaz up to bat, freshly substituted pitcher Abby Jo Emmitt (2-2) stayed calm and collected, striking out the power hitter and escaping the inning unscathed, with three runners left on base, 1-1.  

The Valor and Night Hawks went on to trade stops throughout the remaining innings, forcing extras, where, in the top of the 8th, Evangel was unable to advance the runner placed on second base allowing Thomas the opportunity to walk it off. 

TU went on to take full advantage of the opportunity, when Diaz redeemed her fifth inning strikeout with a double to center field, scoring the walk-off run for the Night Hawks, 2-1.
 

Game Two (Thomas 6, Taylor 2)

The Maroon and White (2-3, 0-0 CL) appeared to have the momentum early on in the contest, after the third inning brought in two runs, increasing RV Taylor's lead to 2-0. 

After that, Thomas battled back with a six-run turnaround to claim the second game of the day in West Georgia.  The Night Hawks improved its performance at the plate, batting .285 as a whole, led by starting pitcher Adreanna Killingsworth's 3-for-3 game that included four RBIs and a home run.  Sophomore Annmarie Mcafee made the most of her lone at bat, going 1-1 for a solo shot home run.

After a two RBI single in the third got Taylor rolling 2-0, the Green and White registered back-to-back doubles in the top of the fourth, scoring two runners and knotting the contest at two apiece head into the fifth. 

An Averie Sheppard single into left field would bring home an additional runner to give the Night Hawks a 3-2 lead with two innings left to play.

The Night Hawks would then capitalize again in the middle of the lineup in the sixth, as a Corrynne Diaz double brought Adreanna Killingsworth back up to bat with a runner on. Killingsworth would seize the opportunity by sending a deep ball past the fence, registering her second homer of the year, 5-2. 

Directly after that at bat, and not to be outdone, sophomore Annmarie Mcafee would enter the contest as a pinch hitter and send a second consecutive home run past the fence to extend the lead to 6-2 with six outs left for Taylor to respond. 

A leadoff single in the sixth would provide the Trojans a little bit of confidence, but three consecutive strikeouts would doom the hopes of a comeback as Larran Carter would close out the contest allowing three hits, no runs, and six strikeouts to pick up the save. 

Starting pitcher Adreanna Killingsworth (1-3) did it all in game two, registering four RBIs, pitching four innings, and picking up her first win of the season from inside the circle against the talented nationally recaognized Trojans. 

Up next, the Night Hawks will compete in three more games at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, with the first pitch scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 26th. 

For up-to-date information on Thomas University Softball and other TU Athletics, visit www.TUNightHawks.com.  Stay up-to-date with news, scores, photos, game summaries, and feature stories of your TU Softball team by following them via Twitter at @NightHawksSoftb.