MARSHALL, Texas — The ETBU Tigers are the NCAA Division III softball national champions.
For just the second time in school history, the ETBU Tigers have won the championship after defeating Belhaven two games to one in a best-of-three series.
“This group of girls has done an amazing job this year of bouncing back from different challenges. But what has held us through is the consistency and depth of this team. Everybody was willing to step up in their moment. All year we’ve been seeing that. We’ve seen it on the mound, we’ve seen it in pinch hitting roles, we’ve seen it with Maddie [Melton] stepping up into a position when she hadn’t really thrown a lot. That is something that has been a consistent factor for this team," ETBU head coach Janae Shirley said.
On Tuesday, ETBU lost game one 4-3 in a back and forth game that saw three lead changes in two innings.
The Tigers won game two 8-2. Tristen Maddox lead ETBU going 3-for-4 at the plate with four RBIs and two runs. Madalyn Melton got the win in the circle pitching a complete game, allowing five hits and two earned runs.
In the decisive game three, ETBU got out to a hot start scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning, including home runs by Haylie Stum and Tauryn Cummings.
Belhaven quickly answered with three runs of their own in the top half of the second inning to make it 4-3. The Tigers bats continued in the bottom second inning when Emma Bell had a two RBI double extending the ETBU lead 6-3.
A two-run homerun by Belhaven's Parker in the third inning brought Belhaven within one, 6-5.
In the bottom of the third, Tauryn Cummings homered for the second time of the game to extend the lead to 7-5.
The scoring would subside until the bottom of the 6th when ETBU's Courtney White doubled into center field, scoring Tristen Maddox, who was hit by a pitch. Next batter Emma Bell tripled and White came around to score, extending the lead to 9-5.
Cummings lead the Tigers at the plate, finishing the game 2-for-2, with two solo homeruns and a walk.
“Every win that we’ve had has been different. Not just one person, or two people, it’s been a whole group thing. I think with this group, it’s different. We’re more relaxed, we’ve been doing crazy things and coming up with crazy sayings. No matter if people were hitting on us or defense was having our moments, we ‘thugged’ it out, literally," Cummings said after the win.
In the circle for ETBU was Madalyn Melton and Avery Holland. Melton got the start and pitched two innings giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits and one strikeout. Holland completed five innings allowing two runs on six hits with three strikeouts.
“The thing that I think sticks out to me the most is when we’re playing teams through this tournament, and hearing from other teams how they wanted us to win it. That’s when people know that they respect your team and they respect what you do on the field, how you play, and how your players treat other people. That’s special, and I couldn’t be more proud," Coach Shirley said.
ETBU's 9-5 victory is the highest scoring championship clinching game since 1989. (TCNJ over June Walker, 8-7)
The Tigers finished the season 48-3. This is their first national championship since 2010.