THOMASVILLE, Ga. — The Thomas University softball team clinched their SUN Conference Tournament spot on Friday, as the Night Hawks swept the Lions from Florida Memorial in two 5-inning games.
Game One: Thomas 9, Florida Memorial 0
In the opening game, TU left nothing to chance, scoring six runs in the opening frame in route to the 9-0 win.
The scoring began in the first, with an Adreanna Killingsworth double advancing Makana Pember in from third, 1-0.
Following Killingsworth's double, second baseman Dara Moore added a double of her own, extending the lead again, 2-0.
Directly following that at bat, Kennedy Hardy, Michaela Farr, and Hunter Williams all registered RBI, as the Night Hawks cycled through the lineup scoring six runs in the opening frame.
In the top of the second, the Lions saw their last baserunner of the contest reach, as a Larran Carter walk spoiled the senior's perfect game.
Despite the walk, the Thomasville, Georgia native shined in game one, tossing her first no hitter of the season, allowing just one walk in the five innings pitched. In total, the former SUN Conference Player of the Week struck out four in the impressive performance.
In the bottom of the second, TU added an additional run with Killingsworth once again grabbing an RBI, as the junior advanced Averie Sheppard home, 7-0.
TU then added two more runs in the bottom of the third, with freshman Taylor Lanphere singling through the infield for another score, 8-0.
The final run of the contest came from a Hunter Williams hit, as the senior center fielder singled up the middle, scoring Lanphere, 9-0.
In the game one shutout, TU seniors Larran Carter and Hunter Williams shined, with Carter pitching a no-hitter, while Williams went a perfect 2-2 from the plate with three RBI.
Game two: Thomas 10, Florida Memorial 2
In similar fashion to game one, the Night Hawks started things off in the bottom of the first, scoring four runs to begin Friday's second of the doubleheader.
To begin the contest for the Night Hawks, a walk and an error put baserunners on first and second, before a Dara Moore double brought Holly Campbell in for the opening run, 1-0.
Following Moore's double, a Kennedy Hardy single advanced TU's second run of the contest across, 2-0.
A sacrifice fly from TU catcher Tiana Villagomez then brought run number three in, before Hardy stole home on a wild pitch, 4-0.
After an efficient top of the inning, Hunter Williams would get the bats started in the bottom of the inning, as her single snuck through the infield for a base hit.
Next at bat, a sacrifice bunt from Makana Pember moved Williams to second, before Holly Campbell's single advanced the center fielder home, 5-0.
The top of the third then produced two runs for FMU, with the Lions taking advantage of a pair of Night Hawk errors, turning both Lion baserunners into runs, 5-2.
The Night Hawks instantly responded in the third the bottom of the third with a run of their own, before an Adreanna Killingsworth two run single in the fourth extended the Night Hawk lead to six, 8-2.
Following AK's hit, Kennedy Hardy produced am RBI single, scoring Killingsworth, 9-2.
To conclude the game, a final Holly Campbell single in the bottom of the fifth scored Hailie Stewart, completing the back-to-back run rule with a 10-2 win.
In the end, junior Leanne Lain picked up the win, pitching all five innings and allowing just one earned run.
With the pair of wins, the Night Hawks clinched a SUN Conference spot in the tournament and will wrap up the 2022 regular season on Saturday, April 30th.
The single header is set to begin at noon, with Senior Day events set to take place after.
Fans unable to attend can follow along by accessing the links below.
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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.
