OXFORD, Ala. – The University of West Georgia softball team had its run at the Gulf South Conference Tournament come to an end on Friday night, but hope remains that there's more gas left in the tank this season.
After eliminating No. 3 Alabama-Huntsville earlier in the day, the No. 5 Wolves fell to No. 6 Mississippi College in an 8-0, five-inning tourney tussle, as the Lady Choctaws continue to serve as the Cinderella story of Choccolocco Park behind their unlikely surge to Saturday's championship round.
The Wolves (25-16), who entered the weekend at No. 8 in the South Region Rankings, still have an opportunity to land a spot in the NCAA Tournament following a pair of key wins against West Florida and Alabama-Huntsville over the past two days. The field for the NCAA Tournament will be unveiled on Sunday, May 16.
"I'm proud of the kids. They battled and battled and battled," UWG head coach
Al Thomas said. "There's a lot of great teams that came over here that were done in just two games."
After cranking out eight runs on 12 hits against UAH on Friday afternoon, the UWG bats went silent in the evening. Meanwhile, the incredible effort from
Morgan Goree ultimately caught up to the senior hurler in her third start in two days, including tossing 10 innings on Thursday and taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning of Friday afternoon's win over UAH.
Goree took on extra work due to an injury within the UWG pitching corps, and she more than left everything on the field if this is indeed her final appearance in a West Georgia uniform.
"I'll even go back a weekend ago when we were over at Mississippi College and we got beat in the bottom of the ninth. She just pitched unbelievable and then she comes here and plays West Florida, has another unbelievable outing. Just controls the game and went all 10 innings. Just crazy stuff," Thomas said.
"She goes into the (UAH) game and combines for a one-hitter. Again, amazing. Morgan is a great strikeout pitcher, but this weekend she also placed the ball in some great spots and the kid that's got the bat just couldn't do anything with it. Our defense backed her, and I couldn't ask for a pitcher to do any more than what she has done in her last three starts."
West Georgia had just two hits in Friday's finale – singles from seniors
Cassie Henderson and
Kayla Hughes – while a tough outing defensively resulted in five unearned runs between Goree and senior pitcher
Lexi Close.
Mississippi College (21-19) had a pair of four-run frames – the third and fifth – to take the lead, extend it and, ultimately, end the game early.
The Lady Choctaws advance to face top-seeded Auburn Montgomery in Saturday's championship bout, while the Wolves will now play the waiting game for their NCAA Tournament fate.
"We're just going to have to wait a week and next week we'll go to practice. We've got to put some ice on our injuries and try to be healed up. Hopefully, they'll call our name and we can get packed up and head down to Valdosta," Thomas said.
