Sweet perfection: Albany State wraps up unbeaten SIAC softball season with tourney title

ALBANY — With the amount of changes that took place at Albany State following its merger with Darton State, the ASU softball team could’ve made excuses for their third-place finish in last year’s SIAC Tournament

Instead, the team made a plan, a plan to come back stronger and more focused and bring the championship trophy back to ASU’s campus.

A year later, that plan came to pass.

The Golden Rams wrapped up an undefeated season in conference play, beating Kentucky State 4-3 on Saturday at the Gordon Sports Complex to become SIAC champions and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament.

“We’re big on unity. A lot of unity,” pitcher Aryn McGowan said. “The whole team gets along, and we stuck together and believed in each other.”

The Rams (29-22 overall) got the sticks moving early, building a 4-0 lead through two innings. Kendyl Davis put the Rams on the board in the second inning with an RBI single, then Jade Williams hit a single to right field to drive home two. The Rams added one more run and looked comfortable.

Kentucky State’s offense, however, got going in the top of the third. The Thorobreds loaded the bases up with no outs and scored three runs to cut Albany State’s lead to one.

Head coach Amber Barker said she told her team to keep their foot on the gas.

“Four runs is not enough in any game, especially in a championship game when everyone is gunning for the same thing, so we told them not to sit on it,” Barker said “They did (stay on four runs) but played great defense behind it.”

Kentucky State couldn’t get a runner past second base in the final three innings. A fly ball to right was the final out.

Lauren Lowery was the winning pitcher, giving up nine hits and three runs in three innings. McGowan came in during the third inning and helped get the team out of a jam.

Barker said it’s fitting that defense was what got Albany State through the tournament.

“Even from the beginning of the year, we’ve been really pounding defense all year,” she said. “We’ve done something called ‘Perfect 21’ where just had to keep working, keep working, keep working. There were days when we didn’t hit at practice because we just worked on defense, and I think that it paid off.”

McGowan was named tournament MVP, an announcement that came as a complete surprise to the junior.

“Honestly, when I heard my name I was shocked. I was looking at somebody else because I didn’t know it was going to be me,” she said with a laugh.

McGowan was also named to the all-tournament team, along with Lowery and Lavette Tucker. Barker received coach of the tournament honors, as well.

Albany State wrapped up the championship despite getting shut out of the five major all-conference honors announced Wednesday.

The NCAA Tournament bracket will be announced Monday morning. Four-team regionals will take place Thursday-Saturday.