MOUNT VERNON, Ga. - The Brewton-Parker Christian University (BPCU) Barons softball team traveled to Tifton, Ga, to take on the Fillies of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) in a conference doubleheader on March 10, 2026. The barons split the day, dropping the first game 1-3 and rallying in game two, taking it 9-2.
Game one started as a pitcher's duel in which no runs were scored until the late frames. The Fillies struck first, scoring twice in the fifth inning and one more run in the sixth inning to seal the game. The Barons attempted a late seventh-inning rally and scored once when Alyssa Usrey lifted a sacrifice fly to score Morgan Willingham, trimming the deficit to 3-1 and extending the inning. The Fillies bounced back defensively and sealed the game. Starter Kaylee Odum worked three scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out three and walking three in a 59-pitch effort. Samantha Mathews came into the game in relief, but despite her best efforts, was unable to keep the Fillies off the board.
Game two saw the Barons set the tone in the top of the first inning when Destiny Lucas came around to score on a productive groundout by Morgan Willingham, giving the Barons a 1-0 lead. The Fillies would answer in the bottom of the second to tie the game at one. The Barons responded quickly in the third, as Anna Green drilled a two-run double to push Brewton-Parker back in front, 3-1. ABAC again cut the lead to 3–2, scoring once in the bottom of the third. The Barons blew the game open in the top of the fourth, scoring five runs to seize control. Green sparked the rally with an RBI single, her third run driven in of the day and the first of the inning, and the Barons kept the pressure on. Willingham followed with a run-scoring double as the lineup continued to string together quality at-bats. By the time the inning ended, Brewton-Parker had extended its cushion to 8-2, providing pitcher Natalie O'Neal with more than enough run support. In the seventh, Lucas capped her busy day on the basepaths, delivering an RBI single to score Usrey and make it 9-2, adding insurance to an already comfortable lead.
In the circle, O'Neal turned in a steady, efficient performance for the Barons. The left-hander went the distance, allowing seven hits and just one earned run over 7.0 innings. She walked one, struck out three, and threw 59 strikes among 97 pitches, keeping ABAC to two runs despite a few early threats.
Head Coach Madison Herrin reflected on the day, saying, " It was a hot day on the field today and the girls competed extremely well. ABAC played extremely well in game one, and we could not get things going at the plate. Game two was much better, and it is good to get the split."
The Barons will return to Mount Vernon and prepare for a busy weekend of conference play, hosting the Rams of the University of Mobile on March 13, 2026, then turning around the next day to host the Crusaders of William Carey University on March 14, 2026.
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