7th-Inning Magic Lifts Tennessee Wesleyan to 2022 Tournament Title

KINGSPORT, Tenn. - It's the stuff dreams are made of, coming through in the clutch to win a championship. For Hailey Hinshaw that dream became a reality as she lined a single up the middle to drive in the winning run as No. 3 seed Tennessee Wesleyan walked off with the 2022 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Softball Tournament championship on Saturday.

Tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Courtney Sneed led off with a single and then stole second. Loryn Sherwood followed with a single to right center to put runners on the corners with no outs. Hinshaw then stepped up and sent a single up the middle that was just out of reach of the shortstop, allowing Sneed to score and giving Tennessee Wesleyan the tournament championship.

The tournament was being held at the Brickyard Ball Fields in Kingsport, Tenn.

Fourth-seeded Truett McConnell advanced to the championship game by defeating No. 1 seed Bryan 2-1 in the losers' bracket final Saturday morning.

Tennessee Wesleyan outhit Truett McConnell 14-2 but struggled to get more runners across the plate. The Bulldogs stranded 10 runners on base.

Truett McConnell struck first when Justine Kennington led off the third with a triple. Two batters later, Kennington scored when Ellie Abner reached on a fielder's choice for a 1-0 Bears lead.

Sherwood tied the game in the fifth with an RBI single to left center, setting up the wild finish.

Cheyenne Strong collected the win, allowing one earned on two hits and no walks with seven strikeouts. Strong earned Tournament MVP honors as she pitched every inning for Tennessee Wesleyan and allowed two earned runs, struck out 32, and walked two in 28 innings pitched.

Joining Strong on the All-Tournament Team are Malyssa Jeter, Callie King, Hinshaw, and Sneed of Tennessee Wesleyan; Kyndall Gipson, Karley Hobbs, Briley Lawson, and Alicia Price of Truett McConnell; Annalise Wood and Hailey Galvan of Bryan; Ally Andriano and Lauren Parker of Reinhardt; and Asia Jones of Point.

By virtue of winning the tournament, Tennessee Wesleyan receives an automatic berth to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round. Bryan receives the other automatic berth for the conference as the regular-season champion.

The NAIA Opening Rounds are set for May 16-18 with the NAIA World Series scheduled for May 26-June 1.

Here are the complete tournament results:

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

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 (28-15) def. No. 8 Columbia (21-19), 3-2 (BOX) - Columbia eliminated
Game 8 - No. 7 Point (32-19) def. No. 6 Milligan (23-15), 2-1 (BOX) - Milligan eliminated
Game 9 - No. 1 Bryan (30-14) def. No. 4 Truett McConnell (29-23), 2-1 (BOX)
Game 10 - No. 3 Tennessee Wesleyan (32-7) def. No. 2 Reinhardt (33-14), 2-0 (BOX)

Thursday, April 28
Game 11 - No. 4 Truett McConnell (30-23) def. No. 7 Point (32-20), 13-5 in 5 innings (BOX) - Point eliminated
Game 12 - No. 2 Reinhardt (34-14) def. No. 5 Brenau (28-16), 9-1 in 5 innings (BOX) - Brenau eliminated
Game 13 - No. 3 Tennessee Wesleyan (33-7) def. No. 1 Bryan (30-15), 3-0 (BOX)
Game 14 - No. 4 Truett McConnell (31-23) def. No. 2 Reinhardt (34-15), 7-0 (BOX) - Reinhardt eliminated

Friday, April 29
Game 15 - No. 4 Truett McConnell (32-23) def. No. 1 Bryan (30-16), 2-1 (BOX) - Bryan eliminated
Game 16 - Championship Game 1 - No. 3 Tennessee Wesleyan (34-7) vs. No. 4 Truett McConnell (32-24), 2-1 (BOX)