OXFORD, Ala. – The Eastern Kentucky University softball team fell in a close contest of the top two ASUN teams before bouncing back in a big way against Stetson on Friday.
With the 1-1 split, the Colonels (38-15) advance to the ASUN Championship for another matchup against No. 1 seed North Florida.
Being a double elimination tournament, EKU will need to take two consecutive games against the Ospreys to claim the conference crown.
GAME ONE – EKU 1, UNF 2
Maddi Rutan (18-9) got the day started in the circle for a battle of two of the top dual-threat players in the country between her and Allison Benning.
Rutan notched three strikeouts and allowed just a single earned run in another complete game performance but came away with the loss in the pitching duel.
UNF struck first in the bottom of the second, taking advantage of a Colonel fielding error with a runner on third to score the opening run.
The Ospreys extended their lead in the fifth inning on a single up the middle with runners on the corners.
The Colonels drew one back in the top of the sixth as Rutan tallied an RBI on a fast comebacker up the middle that Benning could not corral.
A tying run was at third for the Colonels, but they could not convert as the Ospreys closed out the final frame for the win.
GAME TWO – EKU 9, STET 4
Victoria Byrum (13-3) grabbed the start, pitching 5.0 innings and totaling three strikeouts before
Lauren Narvaez finished the contest in the win-or-go-home victory.
Stetson struck first in the second inning, scoring on a sacrifice fly to left field.
The Colonels struck back immediately, plating four runs in the bottom of the frame to jump out to a 4-1 lead.
Skyler Billips got things started with a two RBI double to deep left on a shot that would have been gone in most ballparks.
Reese Knox and
Kennedy Drafton followed up with a bases-loaded walk and hit-by-pitch, respectively.
The Hatters cut the lead to two in the third with a bases-loaded walk of their own before the Colonel offense exploded with a five-run reply in the bottom of the inning.
Taci Haase tallied two RBIs of her own on a bases-loaded line drive up the middle.
Makayla Mathis followed suit with two more RBIs, one-hopping the fence for a ground rule double.
Jaelin Haynes helped finish the inning, providing a distraction steal that allowed Mathis to score from third.
After two scoreless innings, the Hatters brought two more runs across to bring the score to 9-4 before the Colonels slammed the door to secure the championship birth.
UP NEXT
The Colonels take on round two against North Florida with the ASUN Championship on the line. The title game is set for 6 PM ET with a second game scheduled for approximately 30 minutes after if necessary.
