ALBANY, Ga. (May 7, 2022) – The Spring Hill College (SHC) Badgers softball team suffered at 1-0 loss to the top-seeded Tuskegee University Golden Tigers at the 2022 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Championship Tournament at the Gordon Sports Complex, but rebounded to win a spot in the Finals with a 10-inning victory over the ASU Golden Rams only to fall to Tuskegee 1-0 in 10 innings of the championship game.
The Golden Tigers (29-11) and the Badgers went 6-and-a-half innings of scoreless ball until Tuskegee brought in the winning run when two infield errors allowed a runner to cross the plate.
Paityn Desormeaux (10-5) suffered the complete-game loss, allowing three hits and no walks with five strikeouts.
Addison Grundmeyer,
Hailey Schultz and
Ashley Ortiz each had a base hit for the Badgers.
Ayriana Stoneback (19-4) of Tuskegee also allowed three hits and no walks while striking out six SHC batters.
The day's second game versus the host Albany State University (ASU) Golden Rams went to the bottom of the 10
th inning tied 5-5 until Schultz led off the frame with a double and was pinch run for by
Taylor Bledsoe.
Madison Koger then reached on an infield throwing error that allowed Bledsoe to scamper home.
Desormeaux recorded the win in 7.0 innings of relief with four hits, no walks and four strikeouts. The Badgers had 12 hits, two walks and four strikeouts versus three ASU pitchers.
Hailey Vanbrimmer had two hits with a solo home run while Desormeaux had two hits and two RBI to help her own cause and leadoff hitter
Lindsey Mecom was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
The Badgers (27-17) next advanced to the Championship game where they met Tuskegee and Stoneback in a rematch of the day's earlier game.
Stoneback held the Badgers hitless through eight innings until Mecom singled with two outs in the top of the 9
th inning.
Tuskegee would earn the conference title with a 2-out run-scoring single in the bottom of the 10
th inning.
Desormeaux took the complete-game loss in 9.2 innings of work, allowing five hits, no walks and six strikeouts.
Following the game, Desormeaux, Ortiz, Mecom, and
Airyonna Weaver were named to 2022 SIAC All-Tournament Team by the head coaches.
