COLUMBUS, Ga. - The Berry College Softball team (8-2) split their first day at the NFCA DIII Showcase as they fell to DePauw 9-6 before taking down No. 8 East Texas Baptist on Friday in Columbus.

Game 1:
JJ Sweat (4-1) took her first loss pitching 4 1/3 innings allowing five runs three earned on four hits while walking two and striking out four. Ava Fouts led the offense going 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs. 

The Vikings got off to a good start as Lauren Cothern delivered a sac fly in the first to put the Viking up 1-0. The Tigers would quickly answer though in the the bottom of the first as they took a 2-1 lead. The score would stay that way until the fifth when Fouts put the Vikings back ahead ripped a two out two run single to put the Vikings back ahead 3-2.

The Tigers would come racing back with a big inning in the bottom of the inning to take a commanding 8-3 lead. They would then tack on another run in the bottom of the sixth to increase their advantage to 9-3. The Vikings didn't give up as they rallied in the top of the seventh with a two out RBI double by Cothern to pull within 9-4. Kennedy Moody then crushed a two run shot to make it 9-6 but that's as close as the Vikings got as they fell 9-6.

Game 2:
The warm setting in Columbus, Georgia set the scene for the Berry Vikings to make their second appearance in the NFCA Lead-Off Classic, looking for a rebound against the undefeated East Texas Baptist University Tigers after coming up short against the DePauw University Tigers in their opener. With a great defensive performance, the Vikings were able to pull through with the upset in their favor ending 3-0, providing them with momentum for the next games to come.

The Vikings established themselves early on in the 1st inning with Junior Ava Fouts scoring off of a sacrificed fly out to left field from Senior Lauren Cothern, marking her 9th RBI of the season. From their the Vikings were looking to keep the advantage in their favor with some great defensive work.

The 5th inning provided the Vikings with the real estate to take the game home with two runs starting with Junior Rachel Runsick scoring off of a sac fly from Freshman Kennedy Mosley, which marked her 1st RBI of the season. This also advanced Sophomore Brooke Thompson to 3rd base and she would score on a fielder's choice by Elly Bennet marking her 2nd RBI of the season. This sealed the deal for the Vikings, allowing them to walk away with their 8th victory of the season.

Pitcher Ava Fouts had a plan to ensure victory for the Vikings and she delivered on the mound. Facing 23 at-bats only allowing 4 hits with 9 fly outs and 9 ground-outs throwing a complete game 7 inning shutout to make sure the opposing Tigers failed to convert or allow any momentum to shift in their favor.

Offensively, Rachel Runsick and Ava Fouts applied the pressure, with Runsick with one hit and Fouts with two. For Runsick, this marked her 4th hit of the season and 10th hit of the season for Fouts.

The Vikings take the field once again in Columbus, Georgia against Denison University, Saturday March 7th, at 10:00 AM. The Vikings plan on continuing their time in Columbus gaining momentum and adding more victories to their season moving forward.