COLUMBUS, Ga. – Coastal Georgia, Freed-Hardeman and Mobile head into the final day of the 2022 NFCA Leadoff Classic as the lone undefeated squads left in the 21-team field. The Mariners (14-1), Lions (10-0) and Rams (9-0) each improved to 4-0 in the tournament with two wins apiece on Saturday at the South Commons Complex.
RV Coastal Georgia posted a pair of shutouts on day two. They cruised to a 9-0 victory over No. 22 Cumberlands in five innings and followed with a 4-0 blanking of Rio Grande. Mariner pitchers have twirled three consecutive shutouts this tournament. The Mariners came out quickly with three runs in the first and one in the second and put a cap on the game with a five-run top of the fifth. Malarie Peacock twirled a three-hit shutout with six punchouts and two walks. She also went 4-for-4 with a double, triple and four RBI. Hayley Dickerson tossed a four-hit shutout against the RedStorm. She struck out three did not walk a batter. They close out their tournament tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. against Lawrence Tech.
Freed-Hardeman used a six-run second and rolled to a 7-2 victory over RV Taylor. The Lions sent 11 batters to the plate in the tide-turning second. They followed up with a 4-2 defeat of Bryan. Sophie Dunavant put the Lions on the board with a two-run blast in the third. After Bryan tied it in the top of the fifth, Kennedy Harris responded with a two-run long ball in the bottom half of the frame. Dunavant and Harris each recorded a pair of hits. In the defeat, Lions’ hurler Shannon White struck out 10 in six innings of work. The Lions battle Georgia Gwinnett at 11:00 a.m. in their final tournament contest.
Mobile opened the day with a 7-1 win over Rio Grande and followed with a 4-1 victory against Cumberlands. Holding on to a 2-1 lead, the Rams opened the game with two runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth for the final margin of victory. Kaylee Pullin was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Madilyn Sheffield clocked a two-run homer in the first. The RedStorm’s lone run came on a solo shot by Jenna Myers in the fifth. Against the Patriots, Brinkley Goff held her opposition to a run on five hits in a complete-game effort. She fanned three and did not walk a batter. Mobile scored single runs in the first and third and two more in the fourth, courtesy of RBIs from Pullin, Caitlin McRee, Ashlyn Stewart and Kristen Black.
Along with the previously-mentioned trio, Aquinas, Campbellsville, Georgia Gwinnett and Truett McConnell enjoyed perfect play on Saturday. Additionally, Thomas closed out play at the tournament 2-1 on Saturday and 4-1 overall.
Thomas earned a five-inning 11-3 triumph over Bryan. After Bryan opened with a run in the top of the first, the NightHawks responded with nine runs over a three-inning span, highlighted by a five-run fourth. Adreanna Killingsworth posted two doubles and two runs scored. They scored 11 more times in a 11-0 six-inning victory over Kentucky Christian. Hunter Williams finished 3-for-4 with a triple, two RBI and two runs scored and Holly Campbell double, drove in two and scored twice. Killingsworth and Michell Norvell combined for the shutout.
Aquinas evened its tournament record to 2-2 with pair of wins on day two. The Saints defeated Reinhardt 8-5 and edged Brenau, 3-2 in the nightcap. Aquinas used a six-run fourth, highlighted by a three-run homer by Darrien Roberts, to open up the game. Back-to-back homers, a two-run shot by Jill Martinet and solo blast by Hannah Kate Singleton, got the Eagles within 7-4. Both teams traded runs in the seventh for the final margin. The Saints opened their nightcap with two in the second on a two-run single by Emma Houseman and added the decisive third run in the sixth. That run proved important, as the Tigers made it interesting with two runs in the top of the seventh, but the rally fell short and the Saints held on for the win.
Truett McConnell rebounded on day two with a pair of wins over No. 8 Indiana Wesleyan and RV Taylor. The Bears capped off their day with a 5-4 walk-off win in nine innings against the Trojans. Taylor forced extras on a two-out RBI double by Ashton Whitman in the top of the seventh. In the ninth with one out, Taylor intentionally walked the No. 9 batter to load the bases, but the next batter was plunked and TMU walked off with the win. A five-run third powered the Bears to an 8-3 triumph over the Wildcats. IWU’s Miranda Wehrle connected on a two-run homer in the bottom of the first, staking the Wildcats to an early 2-0 lead. However, the Bears responded with that five spot on an RBI single by Mikayla Sullens, followed by back-to-back two-run doubles by Justine Kennington and Lexi Simonton. After the Wildcats cut into the lead with a run, the Bears scored three times in the final two frames to give themselves a five-run cushion.
Campbellsville hurled a pair of shutouts against William Carey and IU Southeast. Katy Chadwell came out on top in a pitcher’s duel against William Carey’s Haley Nations in a 1-0 Tigers win. Chadwell scattered six hits, struck out five and walked two, while Nations surrendered an unearned run on three hits with 13 punchouts and one free pass. The lone run was scored in the fifth as CU took advantage of a two-out error. Following the error, Ryley Whitney registered an RBI single. Against the Grenadiers, Keely Bowling registered a two-run single as part of a five-run first as they cruised to the 8-0 win. Courtney Patterson (4 IP, 3 H, BB) and Allison Bush (H, K) combined on the shutout.
Georgia Gwinnett blanked IU Southeast 5-0 behind a combined shutout by Alexa and Kayla Good. Alexa Good went the first six innings, allowing four hits, striking out eight and walking two. Kayla Good struck out one in a perfect seventh. Piper Wagner left the yard for a two-run home run in the top of the first. Sydney Pelaez also drove in two for the Grizzlies, one coming on a solo shot in the fifth.
William Carey split for the second straight day as they dropped a pitcher’s duel to Campbellsville before rebounding with a 4-2 win over Thomas, the first loss of the tournament for the NightHawks (6-6).
Kentucky Christian picked up its first win of the tournament with a 4-1 triumph over Evangel. In the top of the sixth, an RBI single by Shaylee Histad broke the 1-1 deadlock and Emma Ball followed with a two-run double to make it 4-1. Ashton Blackburn went the distance for the Knights. After allowing a first-inning home run, she scattered five hits and struck out six.
Evangel picked up an 8-0 six-inning victory over Lawrence Tech. The Valor jumped out to a 7-0 lead after two innings and didn’t look back. Two-out RBI singles by Annslee Leeviraphan, Mariah Hanner and Josie Allcock put Evangel up 3-0 in the first. All five runs in the second also came with two outs, including a two-run single by Leeviraphan. She finished 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored.
Ave Maria edged Brenau 5-4. With the score deadlocked at three, the Gyrenes scored a run in the fourth on an RBI single by Marisa Michi. They added one more in the bottom of the sixth on Michi’s sac fly. That run was pivotal as the Tigers got one back on a run-scoring single by Hannah Patridge, but a strikeout and fielder’s choice ended the contest.
Reinhardt picked up an 11-7 triumph over Ave Maria in a game that saw 24 hits, 11 by the victors. The Eagles opened with three in the first on a three-run homer by Emily Loveless, the 2021 Schutt Sports/NFCA NAIA Freshman of the Year, and four more in the third for an early 7-0 lead. The Gyrenes pushed five across in the bottom half of the third, highlighted by Kaylee Lewis’ grand slam to dead center. Two runs in the fourth and sixth innings pushed RU’s advantage to 11-5 before the Gyrenes tacked on two in the bottom of the seventh for the final margin.
A four-run first catapulted Indiana Wesleyan to a 7-5 victory over Evangel in the final game of the tournament for both programs. The big hit in the first for the Wildcats was a three-run long ball off the bat of Makenna Waddell. Evangel made it interesting with three in the fifth and single scores in the sixth and seventh innings, but the Wildcats were able to hang on.
The tournament wraps up with seven games. Six games kick off at 9:00 a.m. with Georgia Gwinnett and Freed-Hardeman closing the day out at 11:00 a.m.
