THOMASVILLE, Ga. — The Thomas University softball team pulled off a pair of impressive walk-off wins on Tuesday, first capturing an improbable ninth inning 5-4 walk-off comeback win in game one before game two's seventh inning walk-off stunned the St. Thomas Bobcats.
Game 1, Thomas 5, St. Thomas 4 (F/9)
In Tuesday's series opener, the Night Hawks (18-12, 4-6 SUN) found themselves in an early hole after a leadoff walk and sacrifice bunt sent a Bobcat runner to second with just a lone out.
An RBI single to right field followed, bringing in St. Thomas' (11-15, 3-8 SUN) first run of the afternoon gaining a 1-0 lead.
The Night Hawks followed by loading the bases in the bottom of the first, but a pair of flyouts left Thomas scoreless, trailing by one after the opening frame.
After the first, great pitching performances from STU's Erica Winter and TU's Larran Carter controlled the games until the sixth, when the Night Hawks were finally able to respond with a run of their own.
In the sixth, a leadoff hit from junior Makana Pember brought Chauntivia Cliatt in to base-run for the junior. Cliatt then advanced to second on a passed ball before a foul out and groundout brought senior Holly Campbell into the batter's box.
Campbell battled in the box before firing a single into the outfield, advancing Cliatt home to level the contest at one apiece heading to the seventh.
In the seventh, a leadoff hit followed by a sacrifice bunt sent a Bobcat runner to second with a lone out before a Deavyn McDade single had runners on both corners with the Night Hawks still in search of two outs.
Exquisite pitching from Larran Carter helped the Night Hawks close out the seventh with a popup and foul out, as STU left runners stranded on second and third.
The bottom of the seventh began with a Michaela Farr walk before St. Thomas elected to bring a new pitcher to replace Erica Winter.
With Kaitlin Spalding now pitching for the Bobcats, the new pitcher forced three consecutive outs, relieving pressure and sending the game to extras all knotted at one apiece.
With Thomas University starting pitcher Larran Carter now facing the top of the STU lineup for the fourth time in Tuesday's game one, the Bobcats were finally able to advance more runs on the senior. A leadoff walk was followed with double, bringing in two runs for St. Thomas, before a fielding error brought in another Bobcat run, 4-1.
After the error, junior Michelle Norvell entered the ballgame in place of Carter, picking up the final out of the inning.
With the Night Hawks now in desperate need of runs, the TU offense decided to explode as a Dara Moore single advanced Sheppard home, narrowing the gap, 4-2.
With Moore on first, junior Adreanna Killingsworth stepped up to bat, blasting a two-run home run deep past the fence, tying the contest, 4-4.
A strikeout and groundout then sent the ballgame to the ninth where the Night Hawks once again found themselves relying on Norvell, who registered a quick, three-up, three-down inning, including a popup and two strikeouts.
With the stands now set to erupt, the Night Hawks fueled off the two consecutive strikeouts from Norvell as a sacrifice bunt advanced senior Taylee Bragger (placed on second) to third with one out.
An infield groundout then saw Bragger stay stranded on third before an infield error against St. Thomas allowed Hunter Williams to reach first and Bragger to advance home.
In the end, the Night Hawks successfully completed the extra-innings comeback, winning the game in walk-off fashion, 5-4.
Junior Michelle Norvell received the win for the Night Hawks, improving to 1-0, while Erica Winter fell to 5-4 on the season after the game one loss.
Game 2, Thomas 3, St. Thomas 2
After an exciting game one, both teams took a chance to regroup before the teams reversed roles in game two with the Night Hawks now scoring in the first.
In the first, an Adreanna Killingsworth single opened the scoring as Makana Pember advanced home from second, 1-0.
After impressive pitching performances from both Larran Carter and Michelle Norvell in game one, TU's game two starting pitcher Leanne Lain refused to be outdone, pitching terrifically throughout the beginning and middle innings, not allowing a hit until the sixth.
In the sixth, STU senior Marla Lavado entered the ballgame to pinch hit in place of Sarah Descheene, erasing Lain's no-hitter, ripping a ball towards left field clearing the fence and leveling the contest, 1-1.
Up next, a hit-by-pitch and sacrifice bunt advanced Sophia Negron to second before a single into center field brought Negron to score, giving St. Thomas its first lead of the ballgame, 2-1.
The Night Hawks would even the contest back at 2-2 in the bottom of the inning, after a pinch-hitting AnnMarie McAfee hit brought Chauntivia Cliatt home to equalized the contest.
A solid top of the seventh for Lain and the Night Hawk defense held the Bobcats scoreless, setting up another potential walk-off in the bottom of the seventh.
Next, the Bobcats chose send back out game one's starting pitcher of Erica Winter in hopes that the pitching change could slow down the Night Hawk's bats. The pitching change failed to alter the Night Hawks' plans, as a leadoff hit from pinch-hitting Kennedy Hardy put TU's winning run on first with no outs.
A Dara Moore sacrifice bunt then advanced Averie Sheppard (replacing Hardy at first) to second, before a pair of intentional walks for Adreanna Killingsworth and Holly Campbell brought freshman Taylor Lanphere up to bat.
Lanphere's at-bat ended with a great throw from STU shortstop Madison Londono momentarily delaying TU's winning run at home, as Londono's throw was just in time to get out number two.
Now with the bases loaded for the second straight at bat, Tiana Villagomez stepped into the batter's box, reaching first on a Bobcat error, advancing Adreanna Killingsworth home with a walk-off for the second straight game in Tuesday's doubleheader.
Pitching for the Night Hawks Leanne Lain earned the win, allowing just three hits with a pair of strikeouts and a single walk.
Up next, the Night Hawk-Bobcat series will continue on Wednesday, with the series finale set to begin at 12 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.
