HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Columbia College softball team dropped a hard-fought opener to fourth-seeded Marian University, 3-1, on Monday at the Hattiesburg Bracket of the 2026 NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round, hosted by William Carey University. The Cougars fall to 27-14 on the season.
Ella Schouten dealt a strong outing after a slow opening frame, retiring Marian in order in three of the final five innings she worked and holding the Knights scoreless the rest of the way. The graduate pitcher finished with five hits allowed, two walks and four strikeouts on 96 pitches. Marian's Macy Coan matched her with a complete-game seven innings of her own, scattering five hits with zero walks.
The Cougars kept the pressure on throughout. Taryn Hagardt singled and immediately stole second in the first inning, Cassidy Avery stroked a two-out single up the middle in the fourth, and Abigail Zismer singled through the left side in the sixth as Columbia continued to find ways on base against one of the bracket's top arms.
The Cougars put their best rally together in the seventh. Avery — who paced the offense going 2-for-3 — opened the frame with a single to right, Kennedy Schanuth moved her to second with a groundout, and Layla Underwood singled to put runners at the corners with Maddy Clancy running. Sophia Angel followed with a sacrifice fly to center to trim the deficit to 3-1, and the Cougars had the tying run at second before a fielder's choice ended the inning.
Columbia drops into the losers' bracket and will look to keep their tournament run alive in Tuesday's elimination game.
Statistical Leaders: Marian def. CC, 3-1
- Cassidy Avery paced the Cougar offense going 2-for-3; her leadoff single in the seventh ignited Columbia's scoring rally
- Sophia Angel drove in the Cougars' run on a sacrifice fly to center in the seventh, finishing 0-for-2 with an RBI
- Taryn Hagardt singled and stole second in the first; Abigail Zismer and Layla Underwood each added singles; Maddy Clancy pinch ran in the seventh
- Kennedy Schanuth moved the lead runner into scoring position with a groundout to shortstop in the seventh
- Pitching
