BRANSON, MO - The East Central University softball team capped off their first tournament of the 2025 season in electrifying fashion, racking up 20 runs on the day with a 9-0 run-rule victory over Southwest Baptist University followed by an 11-3 win over Drury University on Saturday.

The Tigers had a successful business trip, finishing the weekend 3-1 and showcasing explosive offense alongside stellar defense that fueled their dominant wins.

GAME 1 | ECU 9, SBU 0
After a two-hour delay, which shifted ECU's second game to a later time, the Tigers stayed focused and executed their game plan to perfection, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back.

Elyse LeClair wasted no time, launching a bomb over left center to put ECU on the board in the first inning. Amiah Galcatcher added to the lead in the third, driving in LeClair with an RBI single to center for a 2-0 advantage. After a quiet fourth and fifth, ECU exploded for seven runs in the sixth inning on seven hits. LeClair's 2-RBI single scored Jaicee Stott and McKinley Feazle to double the lead, while Caton Muncy's fielders choice allowed Carsyn Cox to cross the plate for a 5-0 lead. Jami Watson then came up big with a clutch 2-RBI triple that brought in Rylynn Truett and LeClair, extending the lead to 7-0. To cap it off, Brooklyn Fleming sealed the game in walk-off fashion, launching a two-run homer over the left-field fence to secure the 9-0 win and ECU's first shutout of the season.

In the circle, Amera Garner delivered a dominant performance, allowing just one hit over six innings to earn the win. ECU's defense was outstanding, with several key plays helping keep SBU off the bases.

LeClair led the offense, going 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBIs, and a home run. Jami Watson and Jaicee Stott also contributed with multi-hit games, each adding two hits and an RBI.

GAME 2 | ECU 11, Drury 3
The Tigers got off to a slower start in Game 2, as their offense went three-up, three-down in two innings and stranded three runners in another. However, they broke through in the fourth inning when Shayne Roberts smacked an RBI triple to right-center to bring home Brooklyn Fleming for the 1-0 lead. McKinley Feazle then followed with an RBI single down the left-field line to drive in Roberts and make it 2-0. Drury answered in the bottom of the inning, scoring three runs on four hits to take a 3-2 lead.

Not deterred, ECU responded with four runs on five hits in the top of the fifth, beginning with an error that allowed Abbey Strong to score. Feazle then delivered an RBI single, followed by an RBI double from Emily Bingham to push the Tigers back out in front 5-3. An RBI bunt single by Carsyn Cox extended the lead to 6-3.

In the seventh, the Tigers put the game out of reach, tacking on five more runs on four hits. Feazle, Bingham, Stott, Cox, and LeClair all drove in runs to seal the 11-3 victory.

Lindsey Mauppin earned her second consecutive win, coming in when the Tigers were down 3-2 and holding Drury to just one hit over the final 3.2 innings to finish the game.

McKinley Feazle had a perfect day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with three RBIs, while Caton Muncy also had a stellar performance, going 3-for-3.

The ECU softball team will be back in action next week at the Alvy Memorial Classic in Bentonville, Arkansas.