Boyd's Heroics Help Koalas Storm Back to Shock Bears

KINGSPORT, TN - The 9th seeded Columbia College softball team rallied from a 6-3 fourth inning deficit to knock off 3rd seeded Truett McConnell 8-6 in an AAC Tournament elimination game on Tuesday from Brickyard Ball Fields in Kingsport.

Junior DH Ally Boyd's 6th inning two-run double broke a 6-6 tie and clinched the win for the Koalas. Boyd went 3 for 4 with 3 RBI and a run scored as part of the 11-hit Koala attack. CC outscored the Bears 5-0 over the final three innings. Boyd also drove in a run on an RBI single in the 5th inning to get CC to within 6-4 while freshman catcher Reagan Kelly finished with multiple hits as well. Eight different Koalas recorded hits on the afternoon.

Columbia tied the game at one in the 2nd inning on sophomore outfielder Lana Hampson's RBI single before a two-run double from fellow sophomore outfielder Brooke Farrell put CC up 3-1 after three and 1/2 innings. TMU then responded with five runs in the 4th off pitcher Addison Warner to take a 6-3 lead heading into the 5th. After Boyd's aforementioned RBI single in the 5th, the Koalas then climbed to within 6-5 scoring on a double steal and error from Truett as freshman pinch-runner Hailie Lebiedz stole third and came around to score. Freshman 3B Elaina Seymour then scored on an error by Madison Cheek's batted ball to tie the game at six after five innings. Boyd then drove in Farrell and Ashlynn Wolff in the sixth inning for the go-ahead runs. Farrell had walked while Wolff had singled to start the inning.

Senior reliever Kynsly Gehling (1-4) closed out the win for CC by pitching the final 3 and 1/3 innings in shutout relief of senior starter Addison Warner. Warner threw 3 and 2/3 innings allowing 5 earned runs on 8 hits while walking four and striking out two before exiting due to injury.

Warner finished the 2025 season leading the Koalas in wins with 10, strikeouts with 111 and ERA at 3.61 over 133 innings (3rd in AAC). Her strikeout total also ranked 6th in the AAC. She was also 6th in conference wins with 8 and was 8th in the AAC in complete games with 11 while 4th in shutouts with three.

Gehling allowed only two hits and one walk over the final three frames as the defense behind her was stellar including a terrific double play turned in the bottom of the 7th. Truett began the inning with a leadoff single before sophomore SS Ashlynn Wolff and senior 1B Aliyah Crawley turned the huge double play groundout.

With the win, Columbia notched their 20th win of the season (20-30) and will next face #2 seed Bryan College (28-13) on Wednesday in another elimination game at 1:00 pm. Bryan lost to #7 Brenau 8-3 in the final quarterfinal game on Tuesday. No. 5 Montreat faces #8 CIU in the first elimination game on Wednesday at 11 am.

https://www.aacsports.com/sports/sball/tournament/2025_SB_Tournament