Link to GSC Tournament Page

CLINTON, Miss. - The Union University softball team clinched a spot in next week's 2022 Gulf South Conference Softball Championships in Oxford, Alabama. Union needed a sweep in the final weekend on the road against one of the teams battling for the final spot in the 8-team conference tournament. Union pulled off the sweep at Mississippi College, winning 8-7 and 4-3 in a Saturday doubleheader, having to rally in both games. Union also won 3-0 in the series opener Friday night. 

Union head coach Mackenzie Sher said, "I am thankful for the losses that put in position to win or go home. It gave us the opportunity to show our fight and we did just that. I am ecstatic that this group gets to experience the conference tournament! It is a clean state. Moving forward, we will continue to be all in and enjoy the opportunity no matter the outcome. Most importantly, we want to glorify Christ through it all." (Psalm 115:1, "Not to us, Lord, not to us but to Your name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness.")
 
Union finished with a 12-16 GSC record, just percentage points ahead of MC's 12-18 league record. 

Union will be the eighth seed in the tournament and will face top seeded Auburn University Montgomery May 4 at 6 p.m. at Choccolocco Park. AUM is also ranked No. 5 in the national rankings. 

This is the third GSC Tournament appearance for Union since moving to NCAA and becoming postseason eligible in 2014-15. Union advanced to the tourney in 2015 and then again in 2019. The 2019 trip was Coach Sher's first season with the team as head coach. 

Union used two 1-run wins Saturday to complete the required sweep to advance to the tournament. In the first game, Union scored four runs in the top of the second inning on RBI hits from Idalia Alarcon and Grace White. Another RBI single in the fourth gave Union a 5-3 lead. MC scored four runs, three of those unearned in the fourth to lead 7-5. Union then got the dramatic 3-run home run from Mackenzie David in the sixth to take the lead for good, 8-7. Kira Finkley (2-5) earned the win in relief, tossing the final three innings, allowing no runs and no hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Reese Taylor pitched the first four innings. 

Union had to come from behind again in game two, this time after an early deficit. MC scored twice in the first. Union responded with two unearned runs in the second and then added a sacrifice fly from David in the third to take the lead. After MC tied the game at 3-3 in the fifth, Union's Bryleigh Carneal drove in Macey Neal with a single that served as the game winning hit. Laken DiStefano (6-8) earned her second win and second complete game of the weekend. She allowed three runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and two walks to grind out the win. 

-UNION-