MOUNT BERRY, Ga. - The Vikings have secured their bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament with the defeat of BSC in game two to keep their title as the SAA Champion.

Game One BSC 2 - Berry 1
After taking down the Panther yesterday, the Vikings just needed to secure game one to capture the SAA title. However, the Panthers showed up with Olivia Trout in the circle, taking the game to a thrilling eleven innings.

After rushing back from graduation prior to the game, the Viking seniors looked to take on their last Conference Title at Kay Williams Field after receiving their diploma.

Trout and starting Berry pitcher Casey Holloway went at it for five innings with each teams defense playing tough.

BSC found their way on the board in the fifth with a single to bring in a runner, but the Vikings answered in the top of the sixth with a bases loaded walk scoring Berry's run to tie the game at one.

The game became stagnant after that, pushing into extra innings to hang on to hopes of a title. 

Making it all the way to the eleventh, the Panthers who were acting as the home team, scored in the bottom of the inning off of an error to take down the Vikings and survive.


Game Two Berry 9 - BSC 2
With the series now tied at 1-1, the second game was going to name a champion.

Things started differently in game two without a rain cloud in sight. With a Morgan Frye single and a Casey Holloway walk, two Vikings were on when catcher Anna Jackson approached the plate. She notched a three run homerun to secure the lead indefinitely for the remainder of the game, which sparked energy in her team and the crowd after just falling in a tough battle.

The second seeded Panthers showed why they were in the championship game, cutting the lead to one at 3-2 in the top of the fourth with a two-run double.

Berry responded in the bottom of the inning to create separation with two runs and two hits from All-Tournament selectee Sydney Moroney and Elly Bennett bringing in the second one.

Up 5-2, six hits in the fifth solidified the game taking the Vikings up by seven at 9-2 with RBIs from Frye and Moroney.

Hannah Gore entered the circle to close out the game in the fifth, allowing only one Panther hit with two strikeouts on her way to becoming a back-to-back conference champion.

After the win, the All-Tournament team was announced consisting of Sydney Moroney, Rachel Runsick, Morgan Frye, and tournament MVP Hannah Gore!

The Vikings will get two weeks off before hitting the field again once the NCAA determines where the team will travel for Regional play. Stay up to date at BerryVikings.com Read Full Article