Softball Defeats Reinhardt; Rolls into AAC Championship Game
Kingsport, Tennessee- A three-run homer by senior Faith Grooms and another strong pitching performance from senior Cameron Dillard propelled the Brenau softball team past Reinhardt (Ga.) University 6-3 and into the championship game of the 2021 Appalachian Athletic Conference softball tournament.
The win puts the Golden Tigers squarely in control as the squad will only have to win once in the championship game by virtue of being the lone undefeated team remaining.
Against Reinhardt the Brenau offense struck first as Grooms reached base on an Emily Loveless error and then scored on a second Reinhardt error for an early 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the inning, Reinhardt answered with two runs of their own as Dillard walked home a run and then Kyrstyn Fisher singled home Emily Adams to give Reinhardt a 2-1 lead.
In the second inning, the Golden Tigers capitalized on aggressive baserunning as junior Kasey Blair scored from second on an infield single by junior Claire Fendig to even the score at 2-2. The Golden Tigers continued to put on pressure as Grooms slugged a three-run home run- her second of the tournament-to increase the lead to 5-2.
Reinhardt answered with one run in the bottom of the second to cut the deficit to 5-3, however,
the Golden Tigers added an insurance run in the top of the fifth on the Eagles' fourth error of the game to make the score 6-3.
WIth a three-run lead, Dillard took control of the game by shutting down the Reinhardt offense through the final three frames to earn her fourth win of the tournament.
Brenau now awaits its opponent in the championship game set to begin at 1 pm on Friday.
Fans are permitted to attend. Masks are not required for fans, but fans must socially distance themselves from others not in their family. All tickets will be sold online and can be purchased by clicking here.
If unable to attend in person, all games will be streamed live online. To watch, click here.
Full tournament stats and live stats can be found by clicking here.