Lady Royals Drop Heartbreaker to Close Out NFCA Classic

The Lady Royals wrapped up play at the NFCA Classic on Saturday evening with a tightly contested matchup, falling 7-6 to RV Freed-Hardeman in the tournament's final game in Columbus, Georgia.

After three scoreless innings, Freed-Hardeman struck first with a three-run third inning to take an early advantage. Johnson responded in a big way in the fourth, beginning with an RBI double from Megan Armstrong that brought home Audrey Moorhouse. Moments later, Autumn Caywood launched a three-run home run to left field, giving the Lady Royals a 4-3 lead.

Freed-Hardeman answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning to even the score at 4-4, setting up a tight battle heading into the late innings.

Johnson regained control in the seventh inning as Armstrong delivered again, driving in two runs to score Reese Burns and Madisyn Thacker-Wolfe and push the Lady Royals ahead 6-4.

The Lions rallied in their final at-bat, however, tying the game with a two-run home run before plating the winning run later in the inning to secure the 7-6 walk-off victory.

Armstrong led the Lady Royals offensively, finishing with two hits and three RBIs, while Caywood added a three-run homer and scored once. Burns, Moorhouse, and Thacker-Wolfe each crossed the plate in the contest as Johnson totaled seven hits on the evening.

Alyssa Nicely went 6.2 innings in the circle, striking out two while handling the full workload for Johnson.

The Lady Royals conclude competition at the NFCA Classic following four games over the weekend and will now shift focus to their upcoming slate of regular-season action.