THOMASVILLE, Ga. – The Thomas University softball team defeated Ave Maria University in a pair of games Friday afternoon at Armory Field, winning the first 1-0 on a walk-off single, and the second 7-5 after a sixth-inning rally.
 
The teams play the final game of the Sun Conference set on Saturday at noon.
 
Game One
Thomas walked off with a 1-0 win in the bottom of the eighth inning in the first game Friday. Leah Grant was placed on third to start the inning, then advanced to third as Elizabeth Soto put down a sac bunt. AnnMarie McAfee drew a walk, then Kennedy Hardy connected on an infield hit to second base to drive in Grant for the win.
 
Amber Griffin pitched all 8.0 innings for Thomas, striking out two, scattering three hits and walking five.
 
TU had held three Ave Maria runners stranded in the third inning, and two in both the fourth and eighth innings.
 
Five Night Hawks each tagged one hit in the game: Averie Sheppard, Holly Campbell, Adreanna Killingsworth, Jaelynn Vialpando and Hardy.
 
 
Game Two
TU was down 5-4 heading into the bottom of the sixth, and the Night Hawks plated three runs to take the lead and ultimately the 7-5 victory.
 
With one out in the sixth, Megan Monk hit a single, Averie Sheppard drew a walk and Holly Campbell's base hit drove in Monk to tie the game at five. Adreanna Killingsworth sent a sac fly to center to plate Sheppard and give TU the lead. After an AMU pitching change, Addyson Mauldin drove in Campbell for the third run of the inning.
 
The Night Hawks tallied four extra-base hits as Hailie Stewart cracked her third home run of the season, Sheppard and Emma Alley each tagged a triple and Killingsworth hit a 2-run double.
 
Sheppard was 2-for-2 at the plate with two runs scored and a pair of drawn walks. Killingsworth drove in three RBI for the Night Hawks.
 
Dale Elmore picked up the win on the mound, allowing five earned runs from six hits and a trio of walks while striking out two over 7.0 innings.