This weekend was instrumental to both the Albany State and Fort Valley State softball teams. For the bragging rights over one another, and in terms of seeding for the upcoming SIAC conference tournament. The 3 games series was very entertaining and highly competitive. Both teams were constantly chirping towards one another, and I wouldn’t expect anything less from two bitter rivals. Despite all the talking, these teams came to compete.
The 2-game slate on Saturday afternoon was incredible, as both games had spectators on the edge of their seats. The first game was crazy with ASU hold a 3-1 lead heading into the top of the 7th inning. Fort Valley however stormed back and tied the game to send it to extra innings. Trista Murphy pitched exceptionally in all 9 innings for ASU, only allowing 3 earned runs. In the bottom of the 9th the Lady Rams walked it off by pushing across two runs on a Ramona Mcleod single to center, giving ASU a 5-4 win. However, in game two the story wasn’t the same. Fort Valley was able to steal a win because of the electrifying stuff of freshman pitcher Raven Webb. Webb threw a complete game, allowing just 2 earned runs. So, it all came down to game 3 on Sunday and this game meant a lot because if Fort Valley wins it would slide them to number two in the east division and ASU down to spot number three. The hero from game one, Romona Mcleod, stepped up once again in game three, This time it would be from the pitcher’s circle. She was able to toss a complete game shutout only allowing 5 hits. This performance allowed the Lady Rams to take a 5-0 win and hold on to their number 2 seed in the east.
The Lady Rams are not done with the regular season quite yet as they still have to complete a double header on Monday against Trinity Baptist College. They will look to finish the regular season on a high note before setting their sights on the SIAC conference tournament, which will begin Wednesday May 3rd. The Lady Rams have hopes of making it to the HBCU World Series. They will need some help but, if they perform well and win the conference, they might have a shot of getting in.
