MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Tuskegee softball team opened play at the HBCU Classic hosted by Alabama State in dominant fashion on Friday, earning a 5-0 shutout over Lincoln (Pa.) in the morning game before defeating Bluefield State 12-5 in the afternoon contest at Lagoon Park.
 
Tuskegee 5, Lincoln (Pa.) 0
Tuskegee (5-4) broke a scoreless tie in the second inning and never looked back against Lincoln. After manufacturing traffic on the bases, the Golden Tigers struck first when Addy Peaden delivered a single to center field that plated two runs, giving Tuskegee a 2-0 lead.
 
The Golden Tigers added to their advantage in the sixth inning. Tamiya Martin reached on a fielder's choice that brought in a run, and later in the frame Kenya Tatum drove in another to stretch the lead. Tuskegee tacked on an additional run on a sacrifice fly from Kaitlyn Fletcher, pushing the final margin to 5-0.
 
In the circle, Monica Rose was dominant, tossing a complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits while striking out five and walking two over seven innings to improve to 4-2 on the season. She worked out of limited traffic and kept Lincoln off the scoreboard all afternoon.
 
At the plate, Tuskegee tallied five runs on five hits. Peaden led the way with two RBI, while Tatum and Fletcher each contributed key run-producing at-bats. Lincoln was limited to three hits and committed two errors in the loss.
 
Tuskegee 12, Bluefield State 5
In the afternoon matchup, Tuskegee's offense exploded for 12 runs on 11 hits to secure the sweep.
 
Bluefield State struck first in the opening inning, taking a 1-0 lead on an RBI double. Tuskegee responded in the third with a big inning that turned the tide. The Golden Tigers erupted for six runs, highlighted by a three-run double from Fletcher that cleared the bases. Additional RBI from Martin and timely hitting capitalized on Bluefield State miscues to put Tuskegee ahead 6-1.
 
Bluefield State answered with three runs in the bottom half of the third to cut the deficit to 6-4, but Tuskegee maintained control. In the fourth inning, Tatum drove in a run, and Martin added another RBI to extend the lead. The Golden Tigers continued to add insurance in the fifth and seventh innings, including a sacrifice fly from Daniella Simon and additional run production from Martin and Fletcher to seal the 12-5 victory.
 
Martin had a standout performance at the plate, going 3-for-3 with an RBI and multiple runs scored. Fletcher recorded three RBI, while Tatum and Ava Merideth each added key contributions. Tuskegee also showed aggressiveness on the bases, swiping multiple bags to pressure the defense.
 
In the circle, Jordan Garcia earned the win, throwing a complete game. Garcia allowed eight hits and five runs while striking out three to move to 1-1 on the season.
 
Bluefield State finished with eight hits, including multi-hit efforts from the top of the lineup, but defensive miscues and Tuskegee's big third inning proved decisive.
 
Up Next
With the pair of wins, Tuskegee improves to 6-4 overall and will continue play in the HBCU Classic on Saturday with games against Claflin at 11:30 a.m. and Alcorn State at 4:30 p.m.
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