The Blue Mountain Christian softball team traveled to Memphis on Tuesday for a non-conference doubleheader against NCAA Division II opponent Christian Brothers University. The Toppers lost the first game 9-8 and tied the second game 6-6 after eight innings, which was called due to darkness, according to team officials.
In the first game, both teams exchanged momentum throughout the afternoon. Christian Brothers scored first in the opening inning, but Aspen Teague answered with a solo home run in the second. Bre Ramsey followed with a two-run shot, giving Blue Mountain Christian a 3-1 lead. The Buccaneers responded with two runs in the third and two more in the fourth to take a 5-3 lead.
The Toppers regained the lead in the sixth inning after loading the bases and scoring five runs. Anna Harrison drove in two runs on an error, and Mikaylah Fuqua added an RBI single, making it 8-5. Christian Brothers countered with a two-run homer in the bottom half and tied the game in the seventh. The Buccaneers scored the winning run in the eighth inning to secure the victory.
Offensively, Teague led the Toppers with three hits and a home run. Kelsey Camp added two hits, and Fuqua finished with two hits and an RBI. Neely Cooper pitched 3.1 innings, with Jana Shaw pitching 3.2 innings in relief.
The second game saw Blue Mountain Christian score first with an RBI single from Fuqua and extended its lead with Harrison and a wild pitch to go up 3-1. In the third, Chloe Shelton doubled to drive in a run. The Toppers built their largest lead in the fourth, with Kelsey Camp delivering a two-run single to make it 6-3.
Christian Brothers chipped away with a two-run homer in the fifth and tied the game in the seventh. Neither team scored in extra innings, and the game was called after eight due to lack of lights. Anna Harrison went 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Gail Wisher pitched all seven innings, allowing six runs with five strikeouts.
Despite the results, Blue Mountain Christian showed resilience in the competitive doubleheader against the NCAA Division II Buccaneers, including an extra-inning contest that was halted by darkness.
