COLUMBUS, Ga. -- After earning the final berth in the SIAC Softball Championship last week, Miles made sure they weren't going to be the first team sent home. The Lady Bears knocked off East Division No. 1-seed Fort Valley State before running into trouble in a loss to West Division two-seed Tuskegee at the South Commons Softball Complex.
Shakayla Terry was masterful in the circle to clinch the upset over FVSU while
Desalynn Nesbitt had the hot bat over the two games.
GAME 1 - (4W) Miles 6, (1E) Fort Valley State 2
The Lady Bears did not hold the lead in this game until its final at-bat, scoring four times in the seventh inning to fashion the upset of the Lady Wildcats. With the score tied at 2,
Skylar Jones singled and
Kiara Cobb doubled with one out.
Mikayla Williams reached on an error to load the bases before Nesbitt cleared them with a double to left center for a 5-2 advantage. One out later,
Shalayiah Waid singled to right - her second RBI of the game - to push the lead to four runs.
From there, Terry closed the show. She got two quick outs, hit a batter, then got the final out to finish Miles' second win of the season over FVSU. It capped an awesome game from the circle, where Terry (4-8) allowed just four hits (all singles), one earned run and struck out eight. Miles had nine hits, with Nesbitt, Waid, and
Genia Hall each collecting two hits each, and gave the Lady Bears their first tournament win since 2022 and first win in the opening round of the tournament since 2018.
GAME 2 - (2W) Tuskegee 13, (4W) Miles 4
Miles kept pace early but Tuskegee scored in every inning but one to take down the Lady Bears.
The Golden Tigerettes scored twice in the first but Miles had the answer in the bottom of the frame. Singles and stolen bases by Cobb and Williams led to a two-run single by Nesbitt to tie the contest. Tuskegee took a 5-2 lead in the top of the third but Miles continued to battle, getting another run-scoring single from Nesbitt which plated Cobb. After allowing a run in the fourth, the Lady Bears got it right back when Waid - who had walked before stealing second and third - scored on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to 6-4.
But Tuskegee put up crooked numbers in each of the final three innings to put the game out of reach. Miles had seven hits, with Nesbitt (3-for-4) serving as the top target
UP NEXT - The Lady Bears fell into the elimination bracket, where they will face Edward Waters on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 10 a.m.
