GULF SHORES, Ala. – The Lady Tigers continued their stint at the annual, prestigious Gulf Coast Invitational Saturday, facing off against the (RV) Saint Xavier Cougars and the #16 LSU Alexandria Generals. The Lady Tigers' late rally came up short in game one against Saint Xavier, falling 8-4, but a massive third-inning explosion propelled them to a 4-0 split in the nightcap against #16 LSU Alexandria.
- Outfielder Macy McCoy led the team offensively with four combined hits on the day, while scoring two runs and driving in another.
- Jessie Daniels came through in clutch situations, accounting for three hits, three runs scored, and a team-high four RBIs powered by a solo and a two-run home run against Saint Xavier.
- Junior pitcher Leah Holland tossed an absolute gem in game two, upsetting #16 LSU Alexandria with a complete-game shutout.
- Every single Campbellsville batter reached base safely in the win over LSU Alexandria, applying relentless pressure on the basepaths.
- Campbellsville will be back in action tomorrow as they wrap up the Gulf Coast Invitational against #22 William Carey, with first pitch slated for 10 a.m. ET.
GAME ONE: Saint Xavier 8, Campbellsville 4
Saint Xavier set the tone early, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning. The Cougars used four hits and three miscues by the Campbellsville defense to take the immediate lead. In the top of the second inning, St. Xavier scored another insurance run on a wild pitch, extending their advantage to 5-0. In the bottom half of the frame,
Macy McCoy picked up the Lady Tigers' first hit with a single to left field, but was stranded to end the second.
Saint Xavier added a run on a solo home run in the third and another via an RBI single in the fourth, as Campbellsville struggled to break through offensively.
Freshman
Heidi Tipton, who entered in relief in the third, shut the door on St. Xavier in the fifth inning, allowing Campbellsville to fight back.
Jessie Daniels sent a solo shot over the fence, providing the spark. McCoy added her second hit of the afternoon. Later in the inning,
Madison Reed and
Rylee Warner both drew walks to load the bases, and
Korey Harris did the final damage of the frame with a sacrifice fly to center field to score McCoy, cutting the deficit to 7-2.
The Cougars added one final run on an RBI double in the top of the sixth, before CU answered with two more.
Caroline Pitcock walked, and with one out, Daniels scorched her second long ball of the game to score Pitcock. These two runs were the last of the ball game, as both teams had runners reach base in the seventh but were ultimately stranded.
McCoy and Daniels accounted for five of the team's six hits and scored three of the four runs. Daniels tallied three RBIs, and Harris added one.
Heidi Tipton pitched 5.0 innings in relief, giving up three earned runs and striking out one batter.
GAME TWO: Campbellsville 4, LSU Alexandria 0
The Tigers found themselves in a defensive dogfight early in the nightcap against the #16 Generals. Pitcock broke through the hit column first with a single in the first inning, but no mark was made. Junior pitcher
Leah Holland worked efficiently in the circle, getting ahead in counts and utilizing strong defense to keep LSU Alexandria off the board. Each team picked up doubles in the second inning, but the fight kept the contest scoreless.
The breakthrough came in the top of the third inning, where Campbellsville put a stamp on the contest.
Ashlan Estep singled to left field to start the frame. After a Harris sacrifice bunt and a
Lydia Jones single, the Lady Tigers had runners on the corners. Following a Pitcock groundout that advanced Jones to second, Daniels delivered a massive blow, blasting a clutch two-out, two-run double to left field. McCoy followed suit with an RBI single to right field, scoring Daniels. After McCoy stole second, Warner found her second double of the contest to easily score McCoy. Campbellsville scored four runs on five hits in the third inning, taking a commanding 4-0 advantage.
The two pitchers continued to duel inning by inning. Holland picked up key strikeouts after the big offensive explosion. Both teams mirrored each other offensively over the final frames, getting runners on base but having nothing to show for it. Neither team would score again, and Campbellsville officially knocked off #16 LSU Alexandria.
Warner led the Tigers with two hits in the game. Impressively, every single Campbellsville hitter reached base, amounting to a lot of pressure on the basepaths. Holland pitched a complete-game shutout, tossing 7.0 innings while giving up just five hits and punching out seven.
