Columbia, S.C. (April 23, 2015) --- The Tuskegee University Golden Tigers and the Fort Valley State Lady Wildcats kicked off the 2015 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Softball Championship on Thursday morning in what would turn out to be one of the most exciting games of the day with Tuskegee getting the victory, 7-2.
 
Tuskegee (16-19, 12-9 SIAC) entered into the tournament as the 3^rd seed out of the west, with Fort Valley (11-23, 11-7 SIAC) entering as the 2^nd seed from the east. The two teams battled tightly for the first four innings of the opening round contest, with the score tied 2-2 after four innings.
 
The fifth inning saw the beginning of the momentum shift in favor of the squad from Tuskegee, Alabama, as they would score five unanswered runs the rest of the way and starting pitcher Karisa Foye would shut down everything FVSU had to offer on her way to a complete game. Foye struck out 10 while giving up just four hits.
 
Not satisfied to contribute only on the mound, Foye went 3-for-4 from the plate with two doubles and one RBI. She was joined by Cari Driver who went 3-for-5 with one double, an RBI, and a run scored, with Kenyah Smith going 3-for-3, with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored.
 
Alexis Ricks pitched a complete game for the Lady Wildcats, giving up all seven runs (five earned), and 13 hits. Much like her counterpart, she helped her own cause from the plate with a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning. The only other offense came from junior Ashley Polke, who belted a solo home run of her own in the fourth inning.
 
Fort Valley will take on Clark Atlanta University next at 10 am on Friday morning, while Tuskegee advances to play Stillman College in the winner's bracket at 12 pm on Friday.