SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Lady Tigers continued their play in the NAIA Softball World Series Opening Round Tournament Tuesday, battling against the fourth-seeded Taylor University. After a lengthy weather delay, Campbellsville's season ended as they fell 6-2.
Going into their contest, the Taylor Trojans were 26-31 on the season. They earned their NAIA Opening Round berth when they reached the Crossroads League Championship for a second-straight season, defeating #25 Mount Vernon Nazarene. The Trojans came up short against #9 Marian University in the championship game.
The leadoff for the Trojans got a single, and so did the third batter, but both would be stranded after Courtney Patterson struck out the fifth at-bat to give the Lady Tigers their shot at the plate. It would be a quick half-inning for Campbellsville with two flyouts and Riley Hurst caught stealing second after being walked.
After a six-hour-and fifteen-minute weather delay, the top of the second inning continued. With one on, Caroline Pitcock made the third out on an impressive grab inside third base. Giving up a double in the third, the Lady Tigers didn't let another Trojan on base as they went to bat. Campbellsville couldn't muster much offense with two groundouts and a fly to center field.
With a Trojan at first via a hit-by-pitch, a sacrifice bunt pushed the Taylor player to second. That was when a hard-hit double bounced from Pitcock's grasp and into center field, bringing the runner on second home, and the Trojan who doubled advanced to third on the throw. After a strikeout, Katy Chadwell entered in relief of Patterson. The following batter nabbed herself a base hit, sending in Taylor's second run of the contest. A Lady Tiger error had two on when a single to right field scored a run, while the second Trojan crossed home plate on Campbellsville's third error of the frame. In their chance for rebuttal, Lexi Miller nabbed a single up the middle but was out when Hurst reached on a fielder's choice. Facing two outs, Madison Davis made contact for another single, and then so did Pitcock, pushing Hurst home. Morgan Carter landed their third base hit in a row and brought in Davis to make things 4-2.
In the fifth inning, it was three up, three down for Taylor. Campbellsville managed to send four batters up, but the scoreboard didn't change. The sixth was inverse as the Trojans had four at-bats and the Lady Tigers only three.
The seventh inning had Taylor collecting a single from their leadoff and another from the batter that followed. The bases were then loaded after a walk, and a Trojan went home with a subsequent walk following that. Taylor scored again, advancing on a ground out. Chadwell got the final out with her arm as Campbellsville prepared to attempt the comeback. With one out, Kaeleigh Tuck smacked a single before being sent to the dugout by a fielder's choice. With a flyout, the Lady Tigers' season ended, falling 6-2.
The Trojans had nine hits to the Lady Tigers' five and kept their errors to zero. Campbellsville was effective with runners in scoring position going 2-3 (.667), but Taylor's less-efficient 4-15 (.267) outnumbered them in opportunities.
