Brenau Softball Is Down but Not Out

Columbus, GA - The #11 Golden Tigers Softball Team was prepared to play their 2nd game in the Southern States Athletic Conference, on Friday afternoon. They were scheduled to compete against Auburn University at Montgomery, who was receiving votes at the national level. As mentioned, in the past week, Brenau was placed in the 2nd seed of the East Division, entering the game with an overall record of 40-7, and a conference record of 24-5, while AUM was ranked 5th in the West Division, having an overall record of 34-18, and a conference record of 7-14.

The teams met at South Commons Park, prepared to compete for the SSAC Conference Title. Although the Golden Tigers were the higher seed, the Lady Senators started off strong, when they earned the first run of the game, and the only run of the 1st inning. Their lead of 1-0 remained on the board for the entire 2nd and 3rd inning; neither team could find their place on the base or scoreboard. At the bottom of the 4th, Brenau tied up the score with a single run, 1-1. The 5th inning started off slow, since AUM continued to struggle making contact with the ball, however, Brenau began to find their rhythm. The Golden Tigers stepped up to the plate, and pulled out 3 more runs, bringing the score to 4-1. Their momentum kept building, as Brenau earned 2 additional runs, in the bottom of the 6th. With a score of 6-1, the Lady Senators finally decided to answer back with a run in the top of the 7th, but it was too late. Brenau defeated Auburn University at Montgomery, 6-2, improving their overall record to 41-7, and their conference record to 25-5.

Tiffany Schandera (Columbus, GA) maintained the lead off position for the Golden Tigers, going 2-2 at the plate, with a single, a double, and 1 RBI. Jenny Shepherd (Martinez, GA) went 1-3, earning a double and 1 RBI. As for Morgan Smith (Covington, GA), she had gone 1-1, with a double and 1 RBI. Taylor Kelly (Toccoa, GA) was big at the plate, going 2-3, with a single, a double, and 1 RBI. From the mound, Anna Maness (Seagrove, NC) threw a single strikeout, allowing the Lady Senators to earn 2 runs from the 5 hits they made. On the other hand, the Golden Tigers produced 6 runs out of 6 hits, making 1 error at bat.

As the Brenau Softball Team advanced through the winner's bracket, of the SSAC Softball Tournament, the #11 Golden Tigers were scheduled to play against #8 Belhaven University. The Blazers were the 2nd seed, for the West Division, with an overall record of 42-10, while going 14-8 in the conference.

With both teams holding a high ranking in the SSAC, not to mention in the Top 15 of the NAIA, this game was sure to be a close one! At the top of the 1st, the Blazers seized the lead, when they earned a single run. Throughout the next 3 innings, the Golden Tigers trailed behind the Blazers, 1-0. As Belhaven kept swinging, they finally made solid contact with 1 pitch, allowing them to earn the 2nd run of the game, in the top of the 5th. The score remained the same, 2-0, for the 6th and 7th innings, Belhaven handed Brenau their 1st defeat of the tournament, bringing their record to 41-8 overall, and 25-6 in the SSAC.

Several of the Golden Tigers seemed to have similar performances, at the plate. Schandera went 1-3, while earning a double, as Lana Lazar (Sharpsburg, GA), Sally Duggan (Huntsville, AL), and Jenny Shepherd each went 1-3 at bat, pulling out a single. Shepherd also struck out one of the Blazers' batters, as they generated 2 runs, from 10 hits.

Splitting the day, with a win against Auburn University at Montgomery and a loss to Belhaven University, the Golden Tigers dropped to the loser's bracket. Going 2-1, in the tournament, Brenau found themselves in the position of playing Shorter University once again, on Saturday afternoon. The winner of this game will be given the chance to advance to the SSAC Softball Championship.