COLUMBUS, Ga. -- SIAC West Division champion Tuskegee had an inauspicious start to the 2026 SIAC Softball Championships presented by Toyota. The Golden Tigerettes lost a 1-0 nailbiter to East No. 4 seed Fort Valley State before demolishing East No. 2 seed Edward Waters 9-0 in an elimination game on Monday at South Commons Softball Complex.
 
FORT VALLEY STATE 1, TUSKEGEE 0 (11)
For 10 innings, Monica Rose had not allowed an extra base hit nor let a single Fort Valley State player to make to safely to third base. But in the 11^th, a two-out single by Megan Blanks was followed three pitches later with a double by Jasmine Stewart to score the only run of the ballgame.

Tuskegee had an opportunity to even the score in the bottom of the inning. Alarryn Beckley led off the frame with a single and one out later stole second base. But Taneah Gibbons struck out swinging and Ava Mearideth went down looking – the final of 13 strikeouts by Wildcats pitcher Gabrielle Stonecypher – to end the game and send the Golden Tigerettes to just their second defeat to a SIAC team all season.

Beckley and Tamiya Martin each had two hits for TU but no one else hit safely in the game.

TUSKEGEE 9, EDWARD WATERS 0 (5)

Two teams that expected to see each other in the winner's bracket were forced to face-off in an elimination game that ultimately saw the Tigers become the first school bounced from the double-elimination tournament. The Golden Tigerettes scored six times in the first inning to remove any intrigue and ended the game via the run-rule.

Martin and Beckley each singled and promptly stole second base. Kenya Tatum singled to plate Martin before Gibbons blasted a 3-run homer to left center for a 4-0 advantage. Tuskegee would then load the bases with one out before Martha Hurt singled to bring in Mearideth and Martin reached on a fielder's choice to score Shanna McNair for a 6-0 lead before Edward Waters came to the plate.

That was more than enough for Jordan Garcia, who allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out three in the complete-game victory. Tatum drove in another run in the third and Martin added two more RBI in the fourth with a double to pad the margin for Tuskegee.