After winning the regular season title, Knights softball was back in action on Sunday, May 4, to take on the Crusaders of William Carey University. The Knights needed a win to earn a spot in the title game for the 2025 Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) Softball Championship.
The Knights waited until the second inning before they got things going as Kaylee Oliover led off the inning with a single and Alexis Cosgrove hit an RBI double. The Knights scored another run on a sacrifice fly by Mel Bullock later in the inning and the Knights grabbed a 2-0 lead. The Crusaders tied the game up at 2-2 in the third inning after an error allowed both runs to score but the Knights caught fire in the fourth inning. Bullock hit a two-run home run to re-take the lead but the Knights were not through. Madison Cosgrove hit a two-run double and Alexis Cosgrove hit a two-run single and the Knights held an 8-2 lead after four innings. The Knights continued to pour on the runs in the fifth inning with RBI singles from Madison Cosgrove and Grace Avery to force the mercy rule and the Knights won the game 10-2.
The second game of the day was a rematch against the Crusaders in the SSAC title game. The Knights only had to win one game while the Crusaders had to take two. The Knights were able to get a hit in each of the first four innings of play but were unable to drive in any runs. Mel Bullock led off the fifth inning with a double and set up Gabbie Haas for the RBI single to give the Knights a 1-0 lead. One run was all they would need as Emily Proctor has a dominant performance in the circle. She pitched the complete game shutout, allowing four hits and striking out five batters. Gabbie Haas was perfect at the plate, going 3-for-3.
Knights took the 2025 SSAC Softball Tournament Championship title, completing a sweep after winning the regular season title in April. In clinching the SSAC Championship, the Knights move on to the opening round of the NAIA Softball National Championship. The players and coaches will find out later this week at which host site they will compete and what seed they will be.
