Columbus, GA – After a dominant Day 1 sweep, the Albany State Lady Golden Rams softball team faced two tough losses on Day 2 of the 2025 SIAC Softball Championship Tournament, falling 8-4 to Fort Valley State and 9-6 to Spring Hill. The Lady Golden Rams closed out tournament play with a 2-2 record to finish third overall — their highest finish since 2023. Albany State ends the season with an overall record of 27-15 and a 15-9 SIAC mark.
Game 1 Recap: Fort Valley State 8, Albany State 4
The highly anticipated matchup between ASU and rival Fort Valley opened with fireworks as the Lady Wildcats jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the 1st inning, highlighted by a three-run home run from J. Stewart. The Lady Golden Rams answered back in the bottom of the inning as
Romona McLeod delivered a two-RBI double to cut the deficit to 3-2. ASU would tie the game in the third on an RBI single from
Morgan Brown, and a series of base running and defensive efforts kept them within striking distance.
However, Fort Valley capitalized on key moments in the fourth and sixth innings, including RBI contributions from Z. Molina, G. Stonecyphe, and C. Newton, to pull away. Albany State added a run in the fifth but could not close the gap.
Trista Murphy (1-1) took the loss in the circle after pitching 5.2 innings.
Game 2 Recap: Spring Hill 9, Albany State 6
In the evening matchup against No. 2 seed Spring Hill, the Lady Golden Rams once again battled until the final out. Spring Hill took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st, but ASU stormed back in the 3rd with a three-run inning sparked by Aver Fisher's RBI double and McLeod's run-scoring single. Spring Hill responded with a five-run bottom of the 4th, fueled by an error and a two-RBI single by M. King, followed by a two-run homer from R. Hinton, putting ASU in a 7-3 hole.
Albany State mounted a late rally in the 6th.
Amari Mapps doubled and scored, while Ty Brown added a two-RBI fielder's choice.
Madison Hurt drove in one more with a groundout, narrowing the gap to 8-6. However, Spring Hill tacked on one more in the bottom half and held ASU scoreless in the 7th to secure the win.
Romona McLeod (0-1) was tagged with the loss after giving up four hits and five runs (one earned) over three innings. McLeod also led the team offensively, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Albany State finishes another successful season with a 27-15 record, highlighted by postseason wins over Miles College and top-seeded Tuskegee. Several key players, including
Madison Hurt, Kady Ayers,
Romona McLeod, and Ty Brown, made major contributions on both sides of the ball throughout the tournament. The Lady Golden Rams demonstrated grit and growth in 2025 and will look to build upon this momentum heading into next season.
Stay Connected
For complete coverage of ASU Athletics, follow us on social media @asugoldenrams (Instagram), @ASUGoldenRams (Twitter), ASU Rams Nation (Facebook), or visit the official home of the Golden Rams at
www.asugoldenrams.com.
ABOUT ALBANY STATE ATHLETICS
Albany State University is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II-level intercollegiate athletic program. The university currently fields teams in 11 sports: women's volleyball, women's tennis, women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, softball, men's and women's track and field, women's soccer, baseball, and football. All teams compete in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), except women's soccer, which participates in the Peach Belt Conference.
