Tigers rally to eliminate Grenadiers in Hattiesburg Bracket of NAIA Softball Opening Round

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- No. 5 Stillman (Ala.) used a four-run sixth inning to eliminate No. 4 IU Southeast (Ind.) in the Hattiesburg Bracket of the NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round on Wednesday (May 15).

The Grenadiers were held in check throughout the first three innings before finally breaking through in the fourth, scoring a run on two hits.

With the bases loaded and two outs, Brynlea Bennett broke the scoreless tie, hitting an RBI single up the middle to give the Grenadiers a 1-0 lead.

The lead remained intact until the sixth, when the Tigers, who improved to 37-14 with the win, rallied with four runs on two hits.

Madison Wathen took a no-hitter into the sixth but ran into trouble after allowing back-to-back walks and a single to load the bases with no outs in the sixth. Stillman would go on to score four in the inning on their way to a 4-0 victory.

Wathen (18-5) was handed the loss after allowing four runs – two earned – on two hits in her five innings of work.

IU Southeast, who won the RSC Softball Regular Season Championship, finishes its season with a 35-18 record overall.