By Alan Wiederhold
HT Athletic Communications
NORTHPORT, Ala. – Rust College jumped out to an early three-run lead and never trailed Saturday while sending Huston-Tillotson into the elimination bracket of the 2026 HBCU Athletic Conference Softball Championship tournament.
Making their first postseason appearance in four years and first as a member team of the HBCU Athletic Conference, the Rams entered Saturday's game as the No. 3-seeded team in the event, but were stunned 12-6 by their opponents.
Rust (Miss.) held a slim 3-2 lead in the top of the fourth before scoring three runs after a two-out error. The Bearcats scored seven unanswered runs in the fourth and fifth innings and forced to HT to fend off run-rule defeat in the fifth and sixth.
The Rams face the conference's No. 7-seeded Oakwood (Ala.) at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, April 26 in an elimination game at River Run Park.
Alayali Alaniz and Alexis Gaona each had two hits in the game for HT. The conference's Designated Player of the Year, Alaniz hit two doubles as part of a 2-for-3 evening, raising her batting average to .405, and extending her hitting streak to 12 games.
Freshman Hailey-Jane Holder scored two runs for the Rams and also had a hit and a walk in the contest.
Fans can follow all the tournament action at HBCUAC.org.
– HT –
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