CLEVELAND, Ga. (Apr. 3, 2021) – The Truett McConnell University softball team clinched their eighth Appalachian Athletic Conference sweep in dominating fashion against Columbia College Saturday, inside the TMU Softball Complex. The No. 20 Lady Bears stole game one with a score of 8-2, while forcing game two to conclude in the fifth inning with a mercy rule win (8-0) behind Karley Hobbs' no-hitter. TMU sits at a season record of 23-7, 16-2 AAC, while the Fighting Koalas fell to a record of 3-13, 3-13 AAC.

GAME ONE 8-2 | BARRETT'S TWO HOMERUNS 
The Lady Bears hit the ground running in the bottom of the first inning, beginning with a Sara Sullivan single up the middle, who then advanced to second on a Briley Lawson single to first, and proceeded to score form a single up the middle from Mattie Brooks (1-0). The inning was topped off with a Lauren Barrett double down the left field line, scoring Brooks to put the Lady Bears up by two (2-0). TMU shut down Columbia in the top of the second with a line out double play by Alicia Price at third, followed by a heads up throw from Mikayla Sullens to Katherine Kozlowski at second, to catch the runner delay stealing for the final out of the inning.

The Lady Bears were resilient in the bottom of the third with a single up the middle from Sullivan to spark the inning, who went on to score from a two-run homerun over the left field fence from Lawson. Brooks followed up with a single up the middle, but once again two more runs scored off a Lady Bear two-run homerun over the left field fence hit by Barrett (6-0). The Fighting Koalas were capable of scoring in the top of the fourth from a two-run homerun (6-1), but the game was put out of reach in the bottom of the fifth with Barrett's second two run home run of the day, with TMU ultimately clinching the win with a final score of 8-2.

LEADERS
Barrett led the way going 3-for-3 at the plate, along with five RBIs and two runs. Brooks also went 3-for-3 with three runs and a single RBI. Lawson went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one run, while Sullivan went 2-for-4 with two runs. Price and Justine Kennington had one hit apiece. 
Pitcher Bethany Hyde secured her 10th win of the season, while recording six strikeouts, two runs and two hits.

GAME TWO 8-0 | 5 INNINGS
Once again, the bottom of the first saw the Lady Bears hit the board first, with Lawson and Brooks on second and first from back-to-back singles, while a Kozlowski double to deep left-center sent both runners home (2-0). Barrett followed with an RBI single, to put TMU up 3-0 at the start of the second. The score remained unchanged until the bottom of the fifth, when a misplayed ball to short stop from Barret allowed Brooks to score (4-0), followed by an RBI single from Caroline Sarris (5-0). With bases loaded, two individual disciplined at bats, from Sarah Wills and Montana Mcginnis, scored two runs, and a walk off RBI single to left from Sullivan, secured a mercy rule win of 8-0.

LEADERS
Most notable, pitcher Karley Hobbs recorded her third career no-hitter, featuring four strikeouts and two assists.

Kozlowski led game two going 3-for-4 at the plate, with two runs and two RBIs, while Barrett went 2-fo-3, with two RBIs and one run. Brooks went 2-for-3 with two runs, followed by Sullivan who went 2-for-4, with a single RBI. Sarris tallied one and one RBI, while Ellie Abner, Sabrina Pestana Aguiar, Price and Lawson all recorded a hit apiece.

UP NEXT 
TMU will travel Wednesday, April 7, to face AAC competitor Brenau University in a double header, with start times at 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.