Eagles Take Down Columbia to Advance in AMC Tournament

CONWAY, Ark. (4/30/25) – The Williams Baptist University softball team defeated Columbia in an elimination game by the final score of 6-5 to advance to day three of the American Midwest Conference Tournament.

Columbia was brought into the elimination game against WBU after falling to William Woods earlier in the day by the final score of 5-3 in nine innings.

Breann Thresher (1-2, 2 RBI, 2 R), Madyson Busselle (2-3, 2 R), and Ashlyn Michael (1-3, 2 RBI) led the way for the Lady Eagles on offense.

Thresher got the Eagles on the board first in the bottom of the first inning with a two-run double that brought home Madyson Busselle and Natalia Watkins.  Thresher scored one play later on an RBI single from Rylee Boshell to put Williams ahead 3-0 after one inning.

The Cougars responded with four runs on five hits in the second inning to take a 4-3 advantage.  

Down a run in the third, Ashlyn Michael put WBU back in front with a two-run single that brought home Busselle and Thresher.  Taylor Hooten scored on a squeeze bunt from Hannah Stallings to extend the Eagle advantage to 6-4.

Columbia got a run in the fourth to cut the lead to one, but were unable to push anything else across.  A lead-off single put the tying run on base for the Cougars, but Morgan Garner shut down the Cougars to keep Williams alive in the tournament.

McKenna Bittle (6-1) earned the win after throwing 0.2 innings in relief of Emberlin Caldwell.  Morgan Garner (1) earned her first save of the season with three shutout innings to close out the ballgame.  Megan Graver (13-6) took the loss for Columbia.

Williams will move on to face Central Baptist in an elimination game at 2 p.m. on Thursday at City of Colleges Park in Conway, Ark.