Blue Mountain Christian splits with Tennessee Southern, secures No. 4 seed in SSAC softball tournament
Pulaski, Tenn. — Blue Mountain Christian concluded its regular season with a split against Tennessee Southern Firehawks, dropping the opener 4-2 before winning the second game 12-6 to secure the No. 4 seed in the SSAC Softball Championship.
In the first game, both teams exchanged early runs in a pitcher’s duel. Kelsey Camp scored for Blue Mountain Christian in the first inning after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Tennessee Southern answered with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first and scored again in the third on another sacrifice fly, taking a 2-1 lead. The Firehawks extended their lead in the sixth inning with two runs, and despite a late RBI single from Anna Harrison in the seventh, the Toppers fell 4-2. Harrison led the team offensively with a perfect 3-for-3 performance and an RBI, while Madison Montgomery pitched all six innings, allowing two earned runs.
The Toppers responded strongly in the second game, scoring six runs in the first inning. Mikaylah Fuqua opened with an RBI triple, followed by Aspen Teague with a run-scoring single. Camp hit a two-run home run, and Karen Wisher and Barrier added RBIs to push the lead to 6-0. Tennessee Southern rallied in the third, scoring six runs to tie the game. However, Blue Mountain Christian regained control in the fourth, with Fuqua delivering another triple that drove in two runs. Teague added a three-RBI triple, and Camp and Wisher each contributed RBIs to extend the lead. The team finished with 17 hits, led by Fuqua’s three-hit, three-RBI effort and Teague’s four-hit performance with three RBIs. Wisher and Barrier also contributed offensively with two hits and RBIs each.
Neely Cooper pitched a complete game, allowing five earned runs with three strikeouts, helping the Toppers maintain their lead. The team added one more run in the fifth inning when Teague recorded her third RBI, sealing the 12-6 victory. With the win, Blue Mountain Christian advances to the SSAC Championship as the No. 4 seed, marking a season of record-setting success and offensive production.
Source: Original Article
