OXFORD, Ala. – The eighth-seeded Trevecca Nazarene University softball team (21-18) carried its momentum from round one into a second-round matchup with the No. 5 seed Mississippi College Choctaws (30-22-1) at Choccolocco Park. With the win, Trevecca secured its 26th consecutive winning season and continued an equally long streak of seasons with at least 20 wins.
Trevecca entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed after finishing 15-18 in Gulf South Conference play and quickly made a statement by toppling top-seeded West Florida. Just a few hours later, the Trojans continued their upset-minded tournament run with a 7-3 extra-innings victory over the Choctaws in round two.
SERIES HISTORY/NOTES
The series between these two teams did not begin until the 2024 season when Mississippi College claimed a 9-1 win in the lone meeting. The first full series took place in 2025 when the Choctaws swept the Trojans, including a victory in the GSC Tournament. This season, Trevecca flipped the script by taking two of three from Mississippi College in Nashville. The Trojans won the first and last games of the series and added postseason revenge with Thursday night's victory in Oxford.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Trevecca answered quickly after falling behind in the opening inning. Sarah Kinderdine opened the second with a double to right field and later scored on a wild pitch to even the game at 1-1.
Parker Herrin kept the Trojans within striking distance through the middle innings before Bailey Goad entered in relief in the fifth and stabilized the game out of the bullpen. The freshman right-hander closed the final 3.1 innings with four strikeouts and stranded multiple runners late.
Trailing 3-1 entering the seventh inning, Trevecca delivered one of its biggest rallies of the season. Sarah Kinderdine opened the frame with a single up the middle before Brookelyn Miles entered as a pinch runner and stole second base. Sarah Nicholson followed with an RBI single to left field, and Annabelle Ellis tied the game moments later with another RBI single through the middle.
The Trojans broke the game open in extra innings. Addy Grace Summers reached on an error to begin the eighth, and after a sacrifice bunt from Goad moved runners into scoring position, Trevecca regained the lead on a wild pitch.
Later in the inning, Ellis added a sacrifice fly before Annalise Mecklenburg delivered the decisive swing of the night, lining a two-run single to left field to stretch the lead to 7-3.
Trevecca closed out the victory in the bottom of the eighth behind Goad, who induced a game-ending double play to send the Trojans forward in the Gulf South Conference Championships.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
? Sarah Kinderdine – 2-for-3, 2B, 2 R, BB
? Sarah Nicholson – 1-for-2, RBI, 2 R, BB, SAC
? Annabelle Ellis – 1-for-3, 2 RBI, SAC
? Annalise Mecklenburg – 1-for-2, 2 RBI
? Addy Grace Summers – 1-for-4, R
? Parker Herrin – 4.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 0 SO
WP: Bailey Goad (14-8) – 3.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 4 SO
LP: Camryn Bailey (15-10) – 7.1 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 6 SO
NEXT ON THE DIAMOND
Trevecca will play the winner of No. 1 West Florida and No. 3 Auburn Montgomery with first pitch set for 3:30 p.m. tomorrow at Choccolocco Park.
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