CROWN POINT, Ind. – The Indiana University South Bend (14-29, 7-9 CCAC) softball team split day one of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Softball Tournament winning game one 2-1 over Olivet Nazarene University (23-18, 7-9 CCAC) and falling to #18 Saint Xavier University (34-6, 16-0 CCAC) 8-0 in a winners bracket match up.
Game 1 (W 2-1)
The Titans opened the CCAC Softball Tournament against Olivet Nazarene University who they split the regular season doubleheader with. The game was highlighted by dominant pitching performances in the circle. Both teams were held scoreless through five innings of play until the sixth inning when IUSB took the lead 1-0 on a Reece Douglass RBI single. ONU responded with a run of their own to tie the game 1-1 going into the final inning. The Titans sparked a rally in the top of the seventh when Leah Dawson got on by a lead off walk and a single from Summer Johnson. Dawson and Johnson advanced to second and third with no outs on a wild pitch. A ground out wasn’t able to score a run, but the Titans were still threatening when Aubrey Gearhart hit a RBI sacrifice fly to give IUSB a 2-1 lead. The Titans were unable to push another cross in the inning but were three outs away from a round one win. In the bottom of the seventh inning ONU made a threat of their own getting runners on first and third base with one out, but Abigail Yarnell was able to induce a ground ball back to herself for a second out and getting the final hitter to line out to first base to secure the round one win 2-1 for the Titans. In the circle Savannah Hamilton started the game throwing four innings giving up no runs on just one hit and one strikeout. Abigail Yarnell threw the remaining three innings giving up one run on four hits and one strikeout. The win advanced IUSB to the winners bracket where they were paired with overall one seed and #18 in the country Saint Xavier University later in the day.
Game 2 (L 8-0)
Game two of the day saw Saint Xavier display some dominance in the circle of their own as they held the Titan offense to just one hit in the game. SXU got out to an early lead scoring three runs in the first inning. SXU would tack on one more run in the second inning and another run in the third inning to have a 5-0 lead through three innings of play. SXU would then add on three more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to set themselves up for a run rule win against the Titans. Savannah Hamilton started the inning with the first hit for the Titans but they would then go down in order to lose 8-0 in five innings. Elyse Starr picked up the loss in the circle throwing two innings giving up five runs, four earned, on eight hits and one strikeout. Jaylah Harlan threw the final two innings giving up three runs, two earned, on two hits and one strikeout.
With the Titans being 1-1 through day one of the CCAC Softball Tournament they now move to the losers bracket where they will face Calumet College of St. Joseph (15-26, 7-9 CCAC) at 2pm ET Saturday May 3rd.