MONROEVILLE, Ala. - Coastal Alabama - South Softball delivered a resilient comeback performance on the road Tuesday, Mar. 31, rallying late to defeat Coastal Alabama - North 5-4 in a 10-inning thriller.

Locked in a pitcher's duel for much of the contest, the Coyotes from the Bay Minette campus found themselves trailing 1-0 through six innings, as Coastal Alabama - North controlled the early tempo. Coastal - South continued to battle at the plate, however, and broke through when it mattered most.

In the top of the seventh inning, Coastal - South came up with the clutch hit the team had been searching for, scoring the tying run to even the game at 1-1 and force extra innings. Riley Bennett came up clutch with the RBI single to tie the game.

Both teams exchanged runs in the eighth, keeping the score knotted at 2-2 as the tension mounted. After a scoreless ninth inning, the Coyotes of Coastal - South seized the moment in the 10th.

Capitalizing on key opportunities, Coastal Alabama - South strung together a three-run frame to take a 5-2 lead, applying pressure on the home side entering the bottom half. Breanna Ryan opened the top part of the inning with a RBI single, while Addy Stein later drew a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch. 

Coastal - North refused to go away quietly, answering with two runs of its own in the bottom of the 10th to trim the deficit to one. With the tying run threatening, Coastal - South's defense held firm and threw out the tying run at home to secure the final out and preserve the 5-4 victory.

Riley Bennett kept the offense rolling in the extra-inning win, finishing 3-for-4 at the plate in Monroeville. Meanwhile, Sydni Carpenter finished 2-for-4 with a walk, while both Breanna Ryan and Riley Dunnam came away with clutch RBIs. From the pitcher's circle, Anna Robin tossed just 3.1 innings as the starter, giving up a solo home run in the second inning. Sam Daniels managed 6.2 innings from out of the bullpen, striking out three and allowing three runs (all unearned). 

The win highlighted Coastal Alabama - South's persistence and ability to execute in clutch situations, overcoming a late deficit and thriving in extra innings on the road.

Weekend Off Ahead of No. 1 Matchup

With the dramatic victory in the rearview mirror, the Coyotes of Coastal Alabama - South (22-11, 9-3) will take the rest of the week off and prepare for a massive conference series ahead with the top team in the NJCAA Division I next week. 

The 'Yotes hope to carry momentum forward as they return to conference play on Thursday, Apr. 9 against No. 1 Northeast Alabama Community College in Bay Minette, Ala. Thursday's doubleheader is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CT and will be aired live on JockJive.com.


 

For coverage of Coastal Alabama South Athletics, follow the Coyotes on social media at /CoastalAlabamaSouth (Facebook), @CoastalAL_south (Twitter), and @coastalal_south (Instagram), or visit the official home of the Coastal Alabama South Athletic Department at https://coastalcoyotessouth.com/index.aspx