Lady Golden Tigers earn SIAC softball championship berth
HAMPTON, Ga. (goldentigersports.com) — For the third consecutive year, the Tuskegee University Lady Golden Tigers will play for the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) championship after defeating Miles College 2-1 on Friday evening.
Tuskegee (23-29) is the lone undefeated team and will have to be beat twice on Saturday against a team who will have to play three times on the final day to win the title. The Lady Golden Tigers won the tournament last season by winning three games on the final day.
The Lady Golden Tigers struggled to get a run across against Miles starter Grayson Culverson through the first five innings, finally scratching a run across in the sixth inning. Kaylin Finch led off with a double to left center, before reaching third on a Kenyah Smith groundout to short. She scored the team’s first run on a Karisa Foye single to short to tie the game at 1-all.
After Miles failed to score in the seventh, Tuskegee took advantage of a pitching change by the Lady Golden Bears. After a Sharde Thomas leadoff walk, she went from first to third on a sacrifice bunt by Chante Warner to put the Lady Golden Tigers within 60 feet of advancing to the championship game. After an intentional walk to Jamaica Williams, the first pitch to Finch to intentionally walk her sailed to the backstop and allowed Thomas to score the winning run.
Toni Beth Garner (4-7) went the distance for Tuskegee, allowing just one run off of only four hits. She also walked just one and struck out four in the win.
Thomas finished the game 2-for-2 with a run scored, while Finch also picked up a pair of hits – finishing 2-for-3 in the win.
Tuskegee will face the winner of the Miles-Claflin game tomorrow at 1 pm (est) in the championship series.
