Tigers fall in championship game of Paradise Classic

Saturday, February 8

Honolulu, Hawai'i

4 PM

University of Memphis

Northern Colorado

Photo by: Courtney Metzger

Tigers fall in championship game of Paradise Classic

Feb 08, 2020 | Softball

Game 4 vs. Northern Colorado Box Score Game 5 vs. Iowa State Box Score

Softball reaches championship after defeating Northern Colorado in game one of the day

HONOLULU, Hawai'i – The University of Memphis softball team concluded the Paradise Classic Saturday afternoon with a win against Northern Colorado before falling to Iowa State in the Championship Game. The Tigers defeated the Bears 8-3 before falling by a score of 4-2 to the Cyclones.

Memphis returns home with a 3-2 overall record. Sara Ann Davidson led Memphis this weekend with a .455 batting average while Sam Ibison recorded a team-high eight hits. Freshmen Brady Rowland and Meagan Chism made an immediate impact behind and at the plate, combining for 10 hits and three doubles.

Chyanne Ellett posted a 2-1 record while Karli Perque was 1-0 in 5.2 innings pitched. Mariah Nichols finished with a 1.62 ERA with seven strikeouts in 13.0 innings pitched.

Game One (Memphis 8, Northern Colorado 3)
Memphis started the scoring early against Northern Colorado, putting a run on the board with an RBI double by Gracie Morton. Morton drove in Ibison, who reached on a leadoff single.

The Tigers proceeded to score a run in the first, second and third inning to take a 3-0 lead against the fourth-seeded Bears. Northern Colorado pulled within two with a run in the top of the fourth, but Memphis had an answer in the fifth.

Rowland sparked the Memphis offense in the fifth inning, recording a double to right field for her second hit of the ball game. Rowland's pinch runner, Hannah Bassham, scored on an RBI single by Kendall Lee. The Tigers strung together three hits in the bottom of the fifth while drawing a pair of walks, leading to four runs scored.

Northern Colorado tacked on two runs in the sixth, but the four-run deficit proved to be the closest the Bears could come of the top-seeded Tigers.

Karli Perque earned her first win of the season with four innings of work and four hits allowed. Davidson led the offensive charge for Memphis, recording three hits including two doubles to go along with two runs driven in. The Tigers finished with 14 hits against the Bears.

Game Two (Iowa State 4, Memphis 2)
The Tigers took an early lead in the championship game against the Cyclones, capitalizing on a pair of defensive miscues before Rowland drove in a pair of runs on a single to right center.

Iowa State chipped away at Memphis' lead with a run in the second before putting up three in the top of the third inning. Just like the Tigers did in the first inning, Iowa State capitalized on a pair of Memphis errors to get runners on base. A double to right center drove in what proved to be the game-winning run.

Memphis was able to get a base runner on in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings, but the runners were never able to advance beyond second base.

Ellett was handed her first loss of the season and finished the weekend with a 2-1 record. Nichols came in relief for Ellett and threw 5.0 innings, allowing just one hit.

Up Next
Memphis returns to action next weekend with a three-day tournament in Fort Myers, Florida. The tournament, hosted by Florida Gulf Coast, features Arkansas, Furman, Florida Gulf Coast, UIC and Memphis. For more information on the Memphis softball team, follow the Tigers on social media at @MemphisSoftball.