title image via Albany State Softball
Courtesy of Albany State Sports Information
The Lady Rams ‘battery’ made sure the day ended on a high note. Albany State saw Trista Murphy fire a 4-hitter and Tiana McFarland belted a solo home run in the fifth for a 1-0 softball win over Edward Waters after the visitors took the opener 6-1 for the split.
After recording a no-hitter last Sunday night, Murphy scattered four hits over the opening five innings of work. In the home fifth, McFarland stepped up to the plate and gave her teammate all the run support she would need with a solo home run to make it 1-0. Murphy took the lead from there and sent Edward Waters down in order in both the sixth and seventh innings for her second shutout in six days.
With the Game 2 shutout, the Lady Rams gave head coach Jason Bryant his 500thcareer coaching win. The ASU coach has compiled the milestone with coaching stints at Brewton Parker and Fort Valley State before arriving in Albany. Now in his third season with the Lady Rams, Bryant holds an impressive 78-31 record (.716), including a current 16-6 mark in 2024.
At the plate, both Murphy and Madison Hurt posted 3 for 6 afternoons. Murphy lined a RBI single in the opener and doubled and singled late, while Hurt lined a pair of bunt singles, scored the run in Game 1 and swiped two bases. Ty’Janae Brown went 2 for 2 with a stolen base in the first contest, while Morgan Brown singled once in each game. McFarland was 1 for 2 with her game-winning homer and Keyatta Ayers singled in the first outing.
Over seven innings of work in the circle, Murphy gave up the four hits, walked three and fanned five.
ASU did take the lead in its first Friday at bat. Hurt singled to lead off, stole second and raced home on Murphy’s single for a 1-0 lead. It was all Tigers after that point. Edward Waters went ahead on a 2-run double in the top of the second and never trailed afterwards. The visitors added a single tally in both the third and fourth and two unearned sixth-inning runs. ASU was able to put runners on the corners with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning but the next hitter was retired on a ground out.
ASU will head to the SIAC Crossover Tournament in Birmingham,AL starting on March 12 where they will play Tuskegee University and Lane College.
