TCC Softball falls in Silver Bracket finals at NFCA Leadoff Classic

COLUMBUS, Ga. (March 2, 2014) – Tallahassee Community College's softball team dropped a 5-4, eight-inning decision to Central Alabama Community College in Sunday's championship game of the Silver Bracket at the prestigious NFCA Leadoff Classic. 

Tallahassee advanced to the final game with a 4-1 win over Spartanburg (S.C.) Methodist College on Sunday morning, its third straight win in the event after dropping consecutive 2-1 games on Friday. 

Against Central Alabama, the game went to extra innings tied at 2-all, but the Eagles put two runs on the board to take the lead. 

With the international tie breaker in effect, Marina Cobbs was placed at second base to start the eighth and advanced to third when Ashley Heath-Smith reached base on a successful sac-bunt. After Heath-Smith stole second, Te Reo Powhiri Matautia flied out to left, scoring Cobbs with the go-ahead run. 

Brenda Santana later doubled home Heath-Smith to give Tallahassee a 4-2 lead. 

Central Alabama, however, had an answer in the bottom half of the eighth. A groundout by Brianna Buie scored the Trojans' first run and the game ended on a two-run error to give Central Alabama the 5-4 win. 

Ashley Dobson went the distance but took the loss in the circle for Tallahassee. 

Santana went 3-for-4 with two RBI to pace Tallahassee offensively. 

In Sunday's early game, Mariah Rivera pitched a complete-game two-hitter in the Eagles' 4-1 win over Spartanburg Methodist. 

Rivera baffled the Pioneers, striking out nine batters and allowing only an unearned run in the fourth. 

Cobbs paced the Eagles at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. 

Tallahassee got on the board in the first on an RBI-groundout by Alexis Huss. The Eagles effectively put the game away an inning later, scoring three runs. 

Cobbs' single scored Danielle Patterson to put Tallahassee in front 2-0. Heath-Smith followed with a single that plated Taesha DuBoise and Cobbs. 

Tallahassee went 3-3 on the weekend and is now 16-7 overall. The Eagles return to action on Wednesday when they host Abraham Baldwin (Ga.) Agricultural College for a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.