COLUMBUS, Ga. — Tuskegee softball opened the 2026 season with a split on day one of the Red-White-Blue Classic on Thursday at Columbus State, shutting out the host Cougars in five innings before falling to Florida Southern in the nightcap.

Tuskegee 10, Columbus State 0 (6 inn.)
Tuskegee opened the Red-White-Blue Classic in dominant fashion with a five-inning, 10-0 shutout victory over Columbus State on Friday. The Golden Tigers set the tone early and never looked back, combining timely hitting, aggressive baserunning, and strong pitching to secure the opening-day win.

Tuskegee struck first in the top of the opening inning, using a pair of singles to jump out to an early lead. Kenya Tatum delivered the game's first run with an RBI single to put the Golden Tigers on the board. The offense continued to apply pressure in the second inning, as RBI singles from Tamiya Martin and Tatum extended the lead to 3-0.

The Golden Tigers put the game out of reach in the sixth inning with a five-run surge on two hits. Addy Peaden launched a solo home run to right field, followed by a solo shot to left from Kaitlyn Fletcher. Tuskegee capitalized on a defensive miscue to plate two more runs before Taneah Gibbons drove in another run on a groundout, pushing the margin to 10-0.

Monica Rose earned the win in the circle for Tuskegee, delivering a strong complete-game performance. She allowed five hits and no runs over six innings, striking out six while walking two. Columbus State's starter was charged with the loss after allowing five runs on five hits in one and two-thirds innings.

Offensively, Tatum and Gibbons paced the Golden Tigers with two RBIs apiece, while Peaden and Tatum each recorded two hits. Jordyn Belote showed discipline at the plate with two walks, as Tuskegee worked six walks overall. Martin was a spark on the basepaths, stealing three bases, and the Golden Tigers finished the game with five stolen bases. Tuskegee was also clean defensively, turning a double play and committing no errors.

Florida Southern 5, Tuskegee 2
In the second game of the day, Tuskegee faced Florida Southern and came up just short in a 5-2 loss. The Moccasins struck first with a two-run home run in the second inning to take an early lead. Tuskegee answered quickly in the bottom half of the inning as Gibbons doubled to left field to score Shan McNair and cut the deficit to one.

The Golden Tigers evened the score in the fourth when an error allowed Martin to score, but Florida Southern responded in the fifth with a solo home run and later added an unearned run to regain control. The Moccasins tacked on another insurance run in the sixth to seal the win.

Tuskegee collected seven hits in the nightcap, led by McNair and Gibbons, who each recorded hits and drove in runs across the doubleheader. In the circle, Brianna Lachermeier and Jordan Garcia combined for seven innings of work, striking out four.

Up Next
Tuskegee continues play at the Red-White-Blue Classic on Friday with matchups against AUM and Wingate to close out the weekend in Columbus, Georgia.

How to Follow the Golden Tigers: For complete information on Tuskegee Golden Tigers Softball, visit GoldenTigerSports.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.