COLUMBUS, Ga. — The Thomas University softball team rallied together for two more impressive wins on Saturday, as the the Night Hawks' bats could not be contained, scoring 24 runs winning two out of three in Thomas' final day participating in the NFCA Leadoff Classic.
Game One (TU 11, BU 3 – 5 inn.)
After starting the weekend off 2-0 on Friday with two big wins again Evangel and Taylor, the Night Hawk offense refused to slow down, scoring in all but the opening frame against Bryan College (4-8, 0-0 AAC).
Despite the one sided score in the end, the Lions actually jumped out to an initial lead in the first, after a leadoff single and a stolen base found a runner on second with clean-up batter Stephanie Blevins up to bat. The starting pitcher for BC (Blevins) would then hit a single into left field, bringing home the runner on second and providing the the Lions the 1-0 lead.
The Night Hawks failed to respond in the bottom half of the first, but a sacrifice fly from freshman Annmarie Mcafee would bring in Thomas' first run in the second, tying the ballgame at one apiece with one out.
Junior Tiana Villagomez followed the fly-out with a double of her own, scoring TU's next pair of runs and extending the lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the second.
TU added an additional run in the bottom of the third, before exploding in the fourth with five hits and four runs.
Thomas' scoring frenzy would begin with a Villagomez single into left field. A pitching error on the newly checked in Cali Green followed that hit, sending Chauntavia Cliatt (pinch running in place of Villagomez) to second with the balk. Then, a fielder's decision in the infield allowed TU to place runners on first and second with Hailie Stewart up to bat.
Stewart found a gap in left field for an RBI single, bringing in one run and advancing Bradshaw up to second base. A passed ball would see TU's runners on first and second advance up a base, before Corryne Diaz forced an error in the infield, bringing home an additional run, 7-1.
Rounding out the inning, a pair of hits from Adreanna Killingsworth and Holly Campbell would send two final shots into the outfield to bring in two more runs, on consecutive doubles. Leaving the 4th, TU was up 9-1.
In a must score situation in the top of the fifth, Bryan College would score two runs, but the Night Hawks refused to see the game go any further, responding with two runs of their own, winning the contest 11-3 in five innings.
Starting pitcher Larran Carter would pick up the win for the Night Hawks, while Stephanie Blevins would move to 1-4 on the year for Bryan College.
The successful weekend continued for the Thomasville native, as the senior struck out five, allowed seven hits, and three runs in 4.2 innings played. Junior Michelle Norvell would close out the ballgame, allowing one hit and forcing one groundout, with two batters faced.
Game Two (TU 11, KCU 0 – 6 inn.)
With little time to recover, TU would turn around with the same efficiency in game two of the day, scoring in every inning but the fifth en route to a dominant 11-0 stomping over Kentucky Christian.
The scoring would begin in the first, with Makana Pember getting on base with a walk. Pember then advanced to third after a Dara Moore double into right field brought clean-up batter Adreanna Killingsworth to the plate. The junior then laced one into left field giving TU the 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the first.
The Night Hawks then added another pair of runs in the second inning, followed by a single run in both the third and the fourth, extending their lead to 5-0 entering the top of the sixth.
A pitching change at the start of the sixth doomed Kentucky Christian, as the bats came alive for Thomas, providing TU its best inning of softball so far this season.
The seven-hit, six-run inning for TU began with a Hunter Williams single into left field. Campbell would send a double out to center field bringing Williams home, and extending the Night Hawk lead up to 6-0.
A groundout from Madyson Atwater would send Campbell to third, with Taylee Bragger up to bat. Bragger then reached first and brought Campbell home before Killingsworth would register her second double of the game, sending Bragger up to third.
Villagomez's double followed AK's hit, bringing both Killingsworth and Bragger in for runs number three and four of the inning.
Freshman Morgan Beardsley then joined in on the action, picking up her first RBI of the young season when she sent a single into center field sending Villagomez around the bases and extending the lead to 10-0.
Hunter Williams would pick up the final RBI of the contest, as the senior saw her second at bat of the inning bringing home Beardsley from third, 11-0.
An unsuccessful answer in the bottom of the sixth from Bryan College would see game two of the day end short as well, with Thomas University extending its flawless streak in Columbus to four consecutive games.
Game Three (#16 WC 4, TU 2)
Thomas' fifth game of the weekend brought the Night Hawks back down to earth, as William Carey reminded TU why they are nationally ranked.
The Crusaders (12-1, 0-0 SSAC) started off the neutral game as the designated home team, with two runs in the top of the first giving WCU the initial lead in the contest, 2-0.
The Night Hawks failed to respond in the bottom of the first, as a quick three-up three-down inning sent the TU defense back out onto the field.
William Carey then scored an additional run in the top of the next inning, extending their lead to 3-0 heading into the bottom of the second.
A Corryne Diaz home run would fuel an attempted comeback in the second, as the third baseman's solo homer would rally the team to score an additional run later on in the inning, with a Villagomez single bringing home Averie Sheppard, 3-2.
The top of the third saw WCU gain an additional pair of hits, with Susie Lebert's solo home run extending the crusader lead to 4-2, the final run of the ball game.
The Night Hawks would then register a mere two more hits in the contest, and, with TU unable to respond, the Crusaders cruised to a 4-2 victory.
Thomas ended its tournament with a successful 4-1 record out in West Georgia, with Adreanna Killingsworth and Larran Carter both picking up a pair of wins over the weekend. Sophomore Allyson Mirick got the loss against William Carey, with Carter picking up the teams only save on the weekend in the game against Taylor University.
Up next, the Night Hawks will travel again next weekend to compete in a tournament, with TU's next appearance scheduled for Friday, March 4th, at the Gulf Shores Invitational.
First pitch in Gulf Shores, Alabama against #10 Campbellsville University (Ky.) is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
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.
