COLUMBUS, Ga. – In the final day of the NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic, the No. 7 East Texas Baptist University softball team was victorious in both of its games on Sunday afternoon at the South Commons Softball Complex.

Competing in the Silver Championship bracket, ETBU bested the University of St. Thomas (Minn.), 8-2, and later prevailed against Birmingham-Southern (Ala.) College, 5-4, to clinch the title. After going 5-1 in the tournament, ETBU improves to 15-4 overall.

Game One – ETBU 8, St. Thomas (Minn.) 2

In a late-morning game against St. Thomas, ETBU fell behind, 2-0, following a two-run inning in the top of the second. With one away in the top half, Megan Bush hit a single off ETBU starting pitcher Kelly Jo McLendon through the right side of the infield, driving in a pair of runs.

In the bottom half, however, ETBU countered with two runs of its own to knot the game, 2-2, without any base hits. Two walks combined with a pair of St. Thomas errors allowed ETBU to score twice. Jessica Bowden crossed the plate first, and Shelby Irlbeck later scored the tying run.

With the score later at 3-2 and ETBU up to bat in the bottom of the third, Jayme Perez stepped in the batter's box with the bases full and two down. Facing St. Thomas reliever Kierstin Anderson-Glass, Perez sent a pitch over the netting in left field for a grand slam homer to swell ETBU's advantage to 7-2. In the fourth, ETBU scored an unearned run to account for the final score, 8-2.

McLendon earned the win in the circle for ETBU, pitching 5 2/3 innings and surrendering seven hits and two runs (both earned). She walked one and struck out three batters. Perez entered in relief of McLendon in the top half of the sixth with the bases loaded and two outs, and struck out Jenna Beeso swinging to strand all three runners. Perez pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings with a pair of strikeouts.

At the plate for ETBU, Perez also batted 2-for-4 with four RBI and a run scored, while Lindsey Vasquez went 2-for-2 with three stolen bases.

Game Two – ETBU 5, Birmingham-Southern 4

In the finale of the Silver Championship bracket, ETBU used a two-out rally to overcome a 4-3 deficit in its final turn to bat and edged Birmingham-Southern, 5-4.

With two away and runners on first and second, Kaitlyn Hollingshead singled cleanly up the middle to plate Perez for the game-tying run and make the score 4-4. Up to the plate came Bowden, and she lined a hard-hit ball toward Birmingham-Southern relief pitcher Peighton Ponder. The batted ball deflected off Ponder and into the hole between third base and shortstop, allowing pinch runner JJ Mitchell to cross the plate and end the game, 5-4.

Entering the pitching circle in relief, Raquel Tello (9-1) picked up the victory. She threw four innings and allowed three hits and one run. Tello walked one and struck out one. In the batter's box, Lacey Lindsey reached base safely three times as she went 2-for-3 with a double and a base on balls.

ETBU returns to action on March 18 for a three-game series against the University of Texas Dallas. Playing at Taylor Field, the teams open the series with a single game scheduled for 6 p.m.