CLEVELAND, Ga. (Mar. 9, 2021) – The No. 9 Truett McConnell University softball team competed in their first Appalachian Athletic Conference doubleheader of the season with Montreat College at the TMU Softball Complex on Tuesday evening. The Lady Bears stole game one in five innings with a score of 13-0 and followed up in game two with another shutout win (2-0). TMU is now sitting at a record of 8-4, 2-0 AAC, while the Cavaliers fell to a record of 2-18, 0-6 AAC.

GAME ONE 13-0 | 5 INNINGS
The Lady Bears hit the board first in the bottom of the second inning from a Mikayla Sullens double to deep right-center to score Katherine Kozlowski and Lauren Barrett from third and first (2-0). Sullens ran home on a wild pitch for run three (3-0), and Anna Thomas' single through the hole at shortstop scored Alicia Price to give the Lady Bears an early four-run lead (4-0).

TMU ran away with the game in the bottom of the third as they added seven more runs, which was sparked by a Mattie Brooks two-run homerun over the right field fence. The dominating inning was capped off with another hit from Brooks to score Caroline Waters and Sara Sullivan from second and third (11-0). Two more runs were added in the bottom of the fourth to finalize the win with a score of 13-0 as TMU continued to hold the Cavs scoreless.

BY THE NUMBERS
Overall, TMU outhit the Cavs 15-2. Five Lady Bears led the way going 2-for-3 at the plate; Briley Lawson, Brooks, Kozlowski, Barnett and Sullens. Thomas, Waters and Price all went 1-for-2. Brooks led with four RBIs, while Sullens added three.

Bethany Hyde picked up her fourth win of the season tossing four innings of two hits, zero runs, zero walks and five strikeouts. Ellie McCloy made her first Lady Bear appearance to relieve Hyde for one inning. McCloy allowed zero hits, zero runs and tallied one strikeout.

GAME TWO 2-0
Once again, the Lady Bears scored first in the bottom of the first after Thomas led off with a bunt base hit. Sullivan followed up with a sacrifice bunt to advance Thomas and Lawson followed up with a single to shallow right center to drive home Thomas (1-0). After 3.5 scoreless innings, Lawson drove home Thomas again with a sacrifice fly to left (2-0). Though TMU was unable to score the rest of the way, Karley Hobbs, backed up by stellar defense, did not allow Montreat to get more than one runner on base in the sixth and seventh innings as they secured their second straight shutout and first conference sweep of the year.

LEADERS
The Lady Bears outhit the Cavs again (9-4) and were individually led by Thomas, who went 3-for-3 with two runs. Lawson went 2-for-2 with two RBIs, while Brooks, Ellie Abner, Barnett and Sullens all added one hit apiece. Sullivan recorded three sacrifice bunts.

Hobbs earned her fourth win of the year after throwing a complete game of four hits, zero runs, zero walks and two strikeouts.

UP NEXT
TMU will host Point University for another AAC doubleheader on Friday, March 12, at 3:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m., before facing the University of South Carolina Beaufort on Saturday, March 13, at 2:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m., at the TMU Softball Complex.