PORTSMOUTH, Ohio. – The #22 Lady Tiger softball team continued their four-game series up in Portsmouth, Ohio Saturday afternoon. Campbellsville closed out their regular season schedule with a win as they beat the Shawnee State Bears. 
 
Game one: Campbellsville 13, Shawnee State 0
 
To begin the contest, the Lady Tigers fell victim to a backwards K. however, Lexi Miller combated the shortcoming with her single to center field. Ryley Whitney's at bat resulted in her reaching first on a fielder's choice. Payton Blades homered over the center field wall to bat in both her and Whitney. Smart defensive strategies by Campbellsville halted the Bears from scoring in return. 
 
In the Lady Tigers second turn at the plate, Ryleigh Oldham reached first on an error. Two outs preceded her at bat and she was stranded on second. Ashby Murt single to right field drove Oldham across the plate. Shawnee State made no advanced in the bottom half of the inning. 
 
Blades earned another two-RBI homer with her shot over the left field wall. She batted around Whitney and herself, again. The Lady Tiger energy remained heightened as Taylor Windell capitalized off her speed as she stole second base. Murt collected another RBI as well when her single scored Windell. With two outs and a runner on third, Riley Hurst amassed herself a RBI single that allowed Keely Bowling to run in. Batters loaded up the bases when Miller reached first on an error. Whitney and Blades' walks quickly turned into RBIs as Murt and Hurst trotted in. Shawnee opted for a pitching change and finished off Campbellsville's offensive run. 
 
Campbellsville continued their offensive tactics to increase their lead. Bowling and Murt loaded up first and second base. Both runners advanced around the diamond on a wild pitch. Hurst collected a two-run RBI due to an error by the Shawnee State third baseman. Miller followed up with a double down the right field line that scored Hurst. Chadwell dominated the circle leaving the Bears with a strikeout and two pop outs to Miller. 
 
The Lady Tigers were consistent in their approach to beat out the Bears. Blades singled to right field and Journey Knowles came in to pinch run. Morgan Carter came into the contest to pinch hit for Windell which led to Carter's single that scored Knowles. 
 
As the game completed, Blades had amassed big numbers. Blades finished batting 1.000 at the plate with five RBIs and two home runs. Murt finished batting a .667 at the plate with two RBI and Hurst with three RBIs. Chadwell pitched four out of the five innings and Courtney Patterson closed the last inning. The Lady Tigers finished with a .735 strike-percentage. Combined the two pitchers, they threw a total of 68 pitches versus the Bears 124 total pitches. 
 
Game two: Campbellsville 6, Shawnee State 4 
 
The Lady Tigers started off with the intention to get ahead early. After Hurst smacked a double to left center, Miller's single allowed Hurst to run in. Whitney followed her teammates with a double of her own to place herself and Miller into scoring position. Blades flew out to right field, but her hit gave miller enough time to cross the plate. Ryleigh Oldham earned an RBI as she reached first on an error by the Bears' shortstop. Whitney reached the play to have the Lady Tigers lead by three runs. 
 
The second inning consisted of a solo trip around the bases for Miller. In the bottom half of the inning, Karson Williams's pitching along with the Lady Tiger defense kept Shawnee State's score at 0. Campbellsville continued to increase their lead by racking up hits and working the count at the plate. Windell composed a double. After two outs were placed upon the Lady Tigers, Murt's shot down the right field line scored Windell. Once Shawnee State was at the plate, Campbellsville gave up a base due to an error. With two outs, two Bear batters founded a couple RBIs to scratch at the Lady Tiger lead. 
 
Whitney responded to her team's shrinking lead with a solo home run that put Campbellsville at six runs to the Bears' two. However, the Lady Tigers were unable to follow suit after her at bat. Shawnee State were able to get a couple hits during their time at the plate, but Hurst and Murt's double play canceled the Bears' gain. The last out was acquired by Oldham as she tracked down the fly ball that came her way. 
 
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Bears acquired two more runs from a double to left center. In the seventh, the Lady Tigers did not amass any additional runs. Courtney Patterson came into the contest to relieve Williams from the mound. Patterson's pitching led Shawnee State to ground out at each at bat. 
 
Whitney had a solid game at the plate with one home run, an RBI, and finished with a .667. Hurst, Miller, Windell, and Murt each finished with a .500 in the box. Miller collected a home run and two RBIs. Although Campbellsville's pitchers strike percentage was lower than the Bears' (CU .608 versus SSU .631), the Lady Tigers only faced 33 batters while throwing 97 pitched compared to the 37 batters and 122 pitches Shawnee State had faced. 
 
The Lady Tigers next appearance will be at the Mid-South Conference opening round April 29^th. Games times will be announced at a later date and can be found at https://campbellsvilletigers.com/sports/softball/schedule.