CLERMONT, Fla. (May 7, 2021) – After being shutout 4-0 and held to only two hits against No. 2-seeded the College of Coastal Georgia at the 2021 Sun Conference Tournament, the No. 1-seeded Webber International University softball team hung tough to defeat No. 6-seeded Thomas University 5-3 in eight innings to survive and advance onto the championship game against Coastal Georgia.

Against Thomas, Webber (30-23) trailed 3-2 with two outs in the top of the seventh inning, but a single to shortstop by Kaitlin Cockcroft scored Abigail Thompson to keep the Warriors' hopes alive.

Then in the top of the eighth inning, Mary-Margaret Maggard led off with a walk and then stole second base with two outs. A ball off the bat by Haley Saylor was then mishandled by the Night Hawks' second baseman, allowing Maggard to score to put the Warriors up by one.

Thompson followed with a triple to right center field to score Saylor for Webber's second unearned run of the inning.

Errors by Thomas and unearned runs for Webber would be the theme of the game as the Night Hawks finished with four errors while all five of the Warriors' runs were unearned.

In the bottom of the eighth, Emma Maitland (13-9) recorded three straight outs after a leadoff single to record her second complete game victory in as many days for the Warriors. Maitland finished allowing 10 hits in the eight innings, and allowed three runs, but walked only one batter while striking out seven.

Thompson, Alyssa Rodriguez and Kelsea Friend each finished with two hits for Webber against Thomas while Maggard walked twice.

Webber's Head Coach Kristy Burton said after the wild finish, "What a day. This team is truly something special. We came out a little slow this morning, but came together and left it all out on the field for game two tonight. We are so proud of Emma [Maitland] and the leadership she showed on the mound tonight. Our defense was unstoppable all day. This team simply has grit and has absolutely no give up in them. When we play together and play with heart, it's contagious. We are so thankful to all of our fans and our Warrior family. We need it packed again for the championship. See you all tomorrow. Go Warriors."

In Webber's first game of the day against the College of Coastal Georgia, the Warriors fell behind 1-0 in the top of the second inning after a two-out rally for the Mariners that featured a double to right center followed by an RBI-single also to right center.

Webber's starting pitcher, Kayla Swinson (13-6), then did not give up another hit until the top of the seventh inning when the Mariners loaded the bases with no outs and opened the game up with a three-run frame.

Next up, Webber will play again against the College of Coastal Georgia at 12 p.m. on Saturday, May 8. If the Warriors win, they will play for a third time, but this time for the TSC Tournament Championship at 2:30 p.m.