COLUMBUS, Ga. – Five programs opened with two wins on Friday at the 2026 Division III Leadoff Classic presented by MaxBP. Mount Union, Transylvania, Huntingdon, Trine and Saint Mary’s all enjoyed an unblemished start on the first day of the Leadoff at the South Commons Complex.
Mount Union opened its 2026 in Columbus with an 8-1 victory over LaGrange followed by a 7-6 triumph against No. 24 Belhaven. In the opener, the Purple Raiders broke open the game with a four-run fourth and tacked on three more in the sixth. Sydney Mercer and Grace Bates each recorded a double and two RBI. Against Belhaven, Mount Union erased a 2-1 deficit with a six-run third and then held off a late rally by the Blazers for the victory.
Transylvania blanked Maryville, 4-0, behind a combined shutout from Trinity Bridges and Natalie Contreras and followed up with a 5-4 walk-off win over Emory. Avery Parson provided the game-winning hit for Transy.
Tournament Schedule (PDF) • Purchase Tickets
• Tournament Central
Top-ranked and defending national champion Trine used six-run third innings in both its games to defeat Bethel, 11-3, and Pacific Lutheran, 7-4. In the latter matchup, the Thunder held off a seventh-inning rally by the Lutes, who cut the deficit to three runs and had the bases loaded, but a pop up to short ended it.
Saint Mary’s blanked Pomona-Pitzer, 2-0, in its opener and followed up with a 5-1 win against Denison. Against the Sage Hens, Kenzie Gatz struck out 11 over 6.2 innings in relief of starter Makayla Steffes in a combined two-hit shutout for the Cardinals.
Huntingdon used an eight-run fifth to run-rule Gettysburg, 11-3 in five innings, breaking a three-all deadlock with that big final inning. The Hawks needed a few extra innings, but outlasted Bethel, 11-8 in nine, scoring four in the top of ninth.
Twelve programs - Belhaven, No. 23 Berry, DePauw, No. 8 East Texas Baptist, Maryville, Pfeiffer, Pacific Lutheran, College of Saint Benedict, Denison, Spalding, Cortland and Stevens – all split on the opening day of the tournament. The Blazers walked-off Pfeiffer in eight innings on a bases-loaded walk. However, the highlight of the game was Pfeiffer's Charly Cooper with an inside-the-park home run.
ETBU extended its win streak to 10 games behind Avery Holland’s two-hit (six strikeouts) shutout in a 4-0 triumph over No. 13 Emory. Berry provided the Tigers with their first loss of the season courtesy of Ava Fouts’ four-hit shutout. Maryville rebounded from an opening shutout to defeat DePauw, 11-7, while Pfeiffer also responded from its loss with a 5-3 victory over LaGrange.
PLU opened with a 5-3 win over Saint Benedict. The Bennies rebounded from that defeat by knocking off Pomona-Pitzer 9-6 in their nightcap. Denison won a 1-0 pitcher’s duel between the Big Red’s Brianna Gonzalez and Stevens’ Kacy DePasquale. Spalding bounced back from its loss to Cortland with a 10-8 win over Gettysburg in eight innings. The Dragons defeated the Eagles, 12-2 in five innings, scoring 12 unanswered runs, capped off by an eight-run fifth that was highlighted by Lilly Morse’s grand slam. Stevens closed the evening with a 7-1 triumph over Cortland.
Twenty-two more games are on the slate for tomorrow, March 7, kicking off with five contests at 10 a.m.
The NFCA is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded Leadoff Classic tournaments, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to awards, to in-person events and National Convention.
Learn more about the NFCA and consider joining our lineup of over 7,000 coaches today!
