BRANSON, Mo. – Ella Schouten delivered her third complete game of the tournament and Rosalie Schneider's two-run double highlighted a two-run first inning as the Columbia College softball team defeated Cottey College, 5-1, on Friday at the Branson Rec Plex to claim the American Midwest Conference Tournament Championship — the program's 20th all-time. The Cougars finish the tournament at 4-0 and improve to 27-13 overall.
Schouten was masterful in the biggest start of the season, allowing just three hits and zero earned runs while striking out nine on 101 pitches. The graduate pitcher did not allow a run to reach scoring position until the fourth inning and retired the final 11 Cottey batters she faced, wrapping up her third complete game in three days to cap a remarkable tournament run. She finishes the tournament 4-0 with just three earned runs allowed across 27.0 innings pitched and 30 strikeouts in four starts.
Columbia struck quickly in the first inning on a pair of Cottey miscues. Abigail Zismer drew a lead-off walk and Taryn Hagardt reached on an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt, with Zismer advancing to third on the play. Hagardt promptly stole second, putting runners at second and third for Schneider, who lined a double down the left-field line to plate both and give the Cougars an immediate 2-0 lead.
The Cougars blew the game open in the third, sending six batters to the plate and scoring three more times. Cassidy Avery started it with a double to right, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Kennedy Schanuth's RBI double to left-center. Cottey made three pitching changes in the inning as the Comets tried to stop the bleeding, but Sophia Angel greeted reliever Amelia Gassman with an RBI single that was aided by a left-field error, pushing the lead to 4-0. Zismer then drew a walk, stole second, and Angel came around to score on a wild pitch to cap the frame at 5-0.
Cottey's lone run came in the fourth on an unearned sequence — Makayla Snyder laced a two-run double to right-center to score Gassman, who had reached on a Page error — but Schouten quickly slammed the door and Cottey managed just one more baserunner the rest of the way.
Schanuth and Avery each finished with a double, and Zismer reached base three times without an official at-bat, drawing three walks and scoring once. Hagardt contributed two stolen bases and scored in the first. Schneider's two-run double proved to be all the offense Schouten would need.
Statistical Leaders: CC def. Cottey, 5-1 — 2026 AMC Tournament Champions
- Ella Schouten capped a dominant tournament run going 4-0 with three earned runs allowed, 30 strikeouts and 27.0 innings pitched across four starts
- Rosalie Schneider's two-run double in the first inning put Columbia in front for good, finishing 1-for-4 with two RBI
- Kennedy Schanuth doubled to left-center for an RBI in the third and finished 1-for-4; Sophia Angel added an RBI single and scored
- Abigail Zismer reached base three times (3 BB), scored and stole a base; Taryn Hagardt scored and swiped two bags
- Cassidy Avery doubled to right field to ignite the third-inning rally; Avery hit safely in all four tournament games
- Columbia pitching held Cottey to zero earned runs in two championship matchups this week
- Pitching
