SCORES

Game 1: Montevallo 5, Shorter 4 (8)

Game 2: Union 8, Montevallo 0 (6)

RECORDS

Montevallo (1-3)

Shorter (0-2)

Union (1-1)

LOCATION

South Commons Complex (Columbus, Georgia)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Montevallo defeated Shorter 5-4 in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the eighth inning in its Southern Softball Showdown opener before dropping its second game against Union 8-0.

Shorter took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning in the opener before freshman Holly LaForce tied the game with a RBI single in the bottom half of the frame.

The Hawks added another run in the top of the fourth inning to take a 2-1 advantage before freshman Mariel Bertossi tied the score in the bottom of the fifth inning with her first home run of the season, a solo shot to right field.

Shorter plated a pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning to take a 4-2 lead before the Falcons secured the walk-off win in the bottom half of the frame. Freshman Brianna Stella stated the rally with a RBI single up the middle before fellow freshman Haley Barnette plated the game-tying run with a RBI sacrifice fly. Stella came around to score on a fielding error by the Hawks to clinch the victory for the Falcons.

Union scored eight unanswered runs from the top of the third inning through the top of the sixth inning in the second game.

The Bulldogs limited the Falcons to one hit in the contest, a pinch-hit single by sophomore Lauren Van Steenwyk in the bottom of the sixth inning.

STAT OF THE DAY

Freshman Mariel Bertossi blasted her first career home run against Shorter, giving the Falcons two home runs through four games this season.

UP NEXT

The Falcons will wrap up play in the Southern Softball Showdown between the Peach Belt Conference and the Gulf South Conference with a doubleheader Sunday, Feb. 5 against Lee University and the University of West Alabama. Montevallo will take on Lee University in its first game of the day at 1 p.m. Eastern/12 p.m. Central.