COLUMBUS, Ga. – Berry, East Texas Baptist, Pfeiffer and Pacific Lutheran put together 2-0 outings on day two of the 2026 Division III Leadoff Classic presented by MaxBP at the South Commons Complex. After two days of highly-competitive softball, there are no undefeated teams left in the field.
No. 23 Berry opened the day blanking Denison, 9-0 in five innings behind JJ Sweat’s one-hit shutout with 10 punchouts and one walk. She struck out the side in the first and second innings and retired the final 14 batters of the game. In their 6-4 victory over top-ranked defending national champion Trine, the Vikings opened their account with three runs in the top of the third, which was quickly countered by the Thunder with three of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Trine took a brief 4-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth before Berry went ahead for good with a three-run sixth.
No. 8 ETBU topped Pomona Pitzer, 7-3, and followed up with a big 13-2 win over DePauw in five innings. In their opener, the Tigers had four different players drive in two runs, which included a two-run triple by by Piper Morton. ETBU exploded for seven runs in the second to race out to an 11-0 lead and cruise to the victory. Ava Rodriguez, who homered, was one of five ETBU Tigers to drive in two runs.
After falling behind 3-0, Pfeiffer scored five unanswered runs capped off by a two-run walk-off home run by E.A. Nance to defeat Gettysburg, 5-3. A solo home run and a complete-game shutout by Molly Bulla keyed the Falcons to a 1-0 victory over No. 14 Huntingdon.
PLU used a nine-run fourth, during which it sent 14 batters to the plate in a 15-6 five-inning win over Stevens. They continued to put runs on the board, trumping LaGrange, 10-0.
The above-mentioned quartet, along with Transylvania, Trine, Saint Mary’s, Mount Union and Huntingdon are 3-1 entering Sunday’s action, which begins at 9:00 a.m.
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DePauw, Belhaven, Trine, Mount Union, Pomona-Pitzer, Huntingdon, Saint Mary’s, Saint Benedict, Gettysburg, Maryville, Transylvania all picked up a win on Saturday.
DePauw scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to walk-off Saint Mary’s, 4-3. With the bases loaded and one out, a grounder was induced to a drawn-in second baseman, but the throw home was misplayed allowing the tying and winning run to score. The Cardinals bounced back with a 4-3 win over Emory. Peyton Burg’s two-run single in the third broke a 1-1 deadlock and Saint Mary’s was able to hold off the Eagles for the one-run victory.
Trine edged Belhaven, 6-4. The Blazers took a brief 4-3 lead with a three-run third, only for the Thunder to respond with three of their own in the top of the fourth. Belhaven had the potential winning run at the plate in the bottom of the seventh, but a strikeout ended the threat. Kaleigh Steverson’s two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth lifted Belhaven to a 2-1 victory over Denison.
Mount Union slipped by No. 13 Emory, 4-3. A three-run fourth highlighted by Addy Antonez’s two-run single broke open a 1-1 game and the Purple Raiders held off the Eagles for the win.
Pomona-Pitzer picked up its first win of the tournament, pulling away late for an 11-5 win over Mount Union. It marked the return of 1996 Olympic gold medalist Julie Smith, the associate head coach for Pomona-Pitzer, to the site where she was the second baseman for the winning United States Women’s National Team. The Sage Hens pulled away late with four runs over the final two innings.
Gettysburg picked up its first win of the tournament holding off a seventh-inning rally to top Maryville, 7-6. The Scots hit back-to-back home runs (Sydney Dickenson and Catie Zani) during a five-run fourth as Maryville defeated Spalding, 11-3 in five innings.
Huntingdon scored six unanswered runs between the third and sixth inning to erase a 4-2 deficit and defeat Saint Benedict, 8-4. The Bennies touched up Spalding in a 19-3 five-inning win during their nightcap.
LaGrange picked up its first win of the tournament, 6-4 over Cortland. The Mountain Lions scored five runs with just one hit in the first inning and held on for the victory. In the first, LaGrange took advantage of four walks, two hit batters and a two-run double by Addi Grace Dennis.
Bethel scored seven runs in the first three innings to key an 8-4 win over Transylvania. The Pioneers rebounded to thump Cortland, 22-5, in five innings, scoring 19 of those runs in the first two innings. Stevens rallied with a monstrous 11-run sixth to top Bethel 12-9.
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