Tournament Bracket

HILLSBORO, Kan. -The Tabor College softball team closed regular season play on Saturday afternoon in Hillsboro, Kan. dropping both games of a doubleheader to Ottawa University,

Bluejays finished off the regular season in seventh place in the KCAC standings with a record 7-11 and a 18-24 record overall. Tabor will be the No. 7 seed in this week's KCAC softball tournament and will play the No. 10th seeded Bethel College Threshers Wednesday, May 2, at the Fun Valley Softball Complex in Hutchinson, Kan.

The winner of the tournament will be awarded the KCAC's automatic bid to the NAIA national softball playoffs at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex in Gulf Shores, Ala. May 17-23.

In game one Tabor took a 1-0 lead into the fourth inning before the Braves scored 10 unanswered runs on their way to a 12-4 victory over the Bluejays.

Leading 1-0 after scoring a run in the bottom of the third the Bluejays gave up 10 runs over the next three innings of play including a five-run fifth inning to give the Braves a commanding 10-1 lead. Despite the deficit the Bluejays continued to battle scoring twice in the bottom of the sixth, and once in the bottom of the seventh.

Tabor was led at the plate by junior Cortnie Killen who went 1-3 with an RBI and a run scored, while senior Andrea Bray went 1-2 with two runs scored. The Bluejays also got offensive help from senior Amanda Howe who went 1-3 at the plate with an RBI, while freshman Taylor Lowery added an RBI and went 1-4 at the plate.

Junior Tracie Kithcart got the start and allowed seven runs on 11 hits while striking out one in five innings of work.  Freshman Courtney Capps came on in relief to pitch the final two innings of play allowing five runs on four hits.

In game two the Bluejays carried a shutout into the sixth inning before the Braves rallied late to upend Tabor by the score of 6-2.

Senior Rae'Shon Johnson got the Bluejays on the board in the second inning driving in the first run of the game to give Tabor an early 1-0 lead. Sophomore Sarah Massey would extend Tabor's lead to 2-0 on a solo homerun in the bottom of the fourth.

The Braves offense would finally breakthrough in the top of the sixth, scoring four runs in the inning to take their first lead of the game at 4-2. The Braves would tack on two more runs in the top of the seventh before recording the final three outs of the game to earn the victory.

Massey led the Bluejays at the plate going 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored, while freshman Brittney Dymnioski also enjoyed a 2-3 day at the plate with a run scored.