COLUMBIA, S.C. - CIU softball earned a Thursday Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) sweep over Montreat College (N.C.), using a walk-off victory in game one and an offensive explosion in game two to continue their strong stretch of play. The Rams improved to 26-10 overall and 9-7 in AAC play with the pair of wins.
Game One: CIU 2 Montreat 1: CIU got on the board early in the first inning, as Tristan Phillips led off with a hit, stole second, and later scored on a sacrifice bunt by Abigail Guthrie to give the Rams a 1-0 lead. Both teams were held scoreless over the next several innings, with Isabella Davis settling in the circle and the Rams unable to add on despite a few baserunners. Montreat tied the game in the sixth inning with a solo home run, making it 1-1. The game remained even through the seventh, sending it into extra innings.
In the bottom of the eighth, Phillips once again sparked the offense with a leadoff single and stole second before Hannah Murphy delivered the game-winning RBI single to bring her home and secure the 2-1 walk-off victory for the Rams
Phillips led the offense with a 2-for-4 performance and two runs scored, while Sophia Noriega-Mora also added two hits. Murphy delivered the biggest swing of the day, going 1-for-4 with the walk-off RBI in the eighth inning. In the circle, Davis was the difference-maker, tossing a complete-game eight-inning effort, allowing just three hits and one run while striking out five to earn the win.
Game Two: CIU 11 Montreat 3: Montreat struck first in the opening inning, plating two runs to take an early lead. CIU responded in the bottom half, as Tristan Phillips scored on a sacrifice fly from Abigail Guthrie to cut the deficit to 2-1. The Rams took control in the second inning, exploding for five runs on a string of hits to jump ahead 6-2. Montreat added a run in the third to make it 6-3, but CIU kept the momentum and added two more runs in the fourth inning, highlighted by RBI singles from Brenna Fasching and Noriega-Mora to extend the lead to 8-3.
Both teams were quiet in the fifth until CIU broke through again, as Caydon Thompson launched a two-run home run and Fasching added another RBI single to push the lead to 11-3 and secure
Phillips, who went 3-for-4 with four runs scored and two stolen bases, broke the program's single-season stolen base record. Caydon Thompson also made history, blasting a two-run home run to set the program's single-season home run record.
Fasching went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, while Murphy added two hits and two RBIs. Guthrie chipped in with a hit and two RBIs, and Noriega-Mora and Carmella Korte each contributed RBIs in the balanced offensive effort. In the circle, Abby Ragan earned the win, tossing five innings with four strikeouts.
Up Next: CIU hits the road to take on Bryan College (Tenn.) on Friday, April 10, with a doubleheader starting at 3 P.M. EST.
