All Chalk So Far at Softball Tournament

KINGSPORT, Tenn. - It was all chalk on the first day of the double-elimination portion of the 2022 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Softball Tournament with all four of the top seeds winning on Tuesday.

The tournament is being held at the Brickyard Ball Fields in Kingsport, Tenn. The action was delayed due to rain, but once the games commenced, the pitchers dominated.

No. 4 seed Truett McConnell blanked fifth-seeded Brenau 2-0 thanks to the arm of Kyleigh Sanders, who struck out eight and allowed only two hits and two walks in seven innings of work. Briley Lawson belted a solo home run for the Bears, and Ellie Abner drove in a run to give Sanders all the runs she needed.

Top-seeded Bryan used a four-run fifth to propel itself to victory. Down 2-0, the Lions looked as if they were not going to generate much of anything in the fifth as the first two batters made outs. However, the next six batters reached base as Bryan collected four runs for a 4-2 lead over No. 8 seed Columbia. Annalise Wood came in to pitch in relief and tossed two innings of no-hit ball to secure the win.

Point's Ashlynn Hamm and Reinhardt's Ally Andriano stood toe-to-toe against one another in the circle. However, an Ansley Evans sac fly scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth to lift No. 2 seed Reinhardt to the 2-1 victory.

Cheyenne Strong was nearly untouchable in the circle for No. 3 seed Tennessee Wesleyan as she struck out 16 in a 4-1 win. Tennessee Wesleyan scored twice in the second and two more runs in the fourth for a 4-0 advantage. Courtney Sneed lined a two-run single in the fourth for some insurance runs. Milligan collected only four hits on the night, but one of them was a Neelee Griffith solo home run in the fifth.

The tournament resumes Wednesday with two elimination games at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. followed by a pair of winners' bracket contests at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Tickets are available and can be purchased by clicking here.

If unable to attend in person, all games will be streamed live online. To watch, click here.

Here's the complete tournament schedule:

Tournament Schedule
Monday, April 25 - Single-Elimination Games
Game 1 - No. 8 Columbia (21-17) def. No. 9 Union (16-25), 7-6 (BOX)
Game 2 - No. 7 Point (31-18) def. No. 10 Kentucky Christian (18-21), 1-0 (BOX)

Tuesday, April 26 - Double-Elimination Through the Rest of the Tournament
Game 3 - No. 4 Truett McConnell (29-22) def. No. 5 Brenau (27-15), 2-0 (BOX)
Game 4 - No. 1 Bryan (29-14) def. No. 8 Columbia (21-18), 4-2 (BOX)
Game 5 - No. 2 Reinhardt (33-13) def. No. 7 Point (31-19), 2-1 (BOX)
Game 6 - No. 3 Tennessee Wesleyan (31-7) vs. No. 6 Milligan (23-14), 4-1 (BOX)

Wednesday, April 27
Game 7 - No. 5 Brenau (27-15) vs. No. 8 Columbia (21-18), 11 am
Game 8 - No. 6 Milligan (23-14) vs. No. 7 Point (31-19), 1 pm
Game 9 - No. 4 Truett McConnell (29-22) vs. No. 1 Bryan (29-14), 3 pm
Game 10 - No. 2 Reinhardt (33-13) vs. No. 3 Tennessee Wesleyan (31-7), 5 pm

Thursday, April 28
Game 11 - Game 8 Winner vs. Game 9 Loser, 11 am
Game 12 - Game 7 Winner vs. Game 10 Loser, 1 pm
Game 13 - Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner, 3 pm
Game 14 - Game 11 Winner vs. Game 12 Winner, 5 pm

Friday, April 29
Game 15 - Game 13 Loser vs. Game 14 Winner, 11 am
Game 16 - Championship Game 1 - Game 13 Winner vs. Game 15 Winner, 1 pm
Game 17 - Championship Game 2 - Game 16 Winner vs. Game 16 Loser, 3 pm (if necessary)