KINGSPORT, Tenn. — CIU softball battled into the 12th inning Tuesday night before falling 6-5 to top-seeded Johnson University in an Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament thriller at Brickyard Ball Fields.
Originally scheduled for 3 p.m., first pitch was delayed until 7 p.m. due to rain before the two teams combined for more than three hours of action in one of the tournament's longest games.
The Rams jumped out to an early 5-1 lead, scoring two in the second, two in the third, and one in the fifth. Lilli Petty paced the offense with four hits, including two triples, and drove in two runs, while Caydon Thompson added two hits and an RBI. Gabriella Czuczuk also drove in a run for CIU.
Johnson answered with a four-run sixth inning to tie the game at 5-5 and eventually walked it off in the bottom of the 12th on an RBI single.
Emily Sampson delivered a clutch performance in relief for the Rams, tossing 4.1 scoreless innings and allowing just three hits after entering in the sixth inning despite having pitched only eight innings all season entering the contest.
CIU will now face No. 5 seed Pikeville in an elimination game Wednesday, April 29, at 11 a.m. ET as the Rams look to keep their AAC Tournament run alive.
