In an intense matchup, St. Thomas (Tex.) clinched a narrow 8-6 victory over Centenary (La.) in a thrilling softball game.

St. Thomas came out strong in the early innings, scoring three runs in the first inning, fueled by Rebecca Archibald's run and Lindsey Gonzalez's two-RBI single. They added two more runs in the second inning, with Mallarie Munson's two-RBI single, extending their lead to 5-0.

Centenary fought back in the third inning, with River Boultinghouse stealing second and Mackenzie Cox stealing home to put them on the scoreboard at 5-1. However, St. Thomas responded with another run in the third inning, capitalizing on a stolen base by Delayne Moreno and an error, pushing their lead to 6-1.

St. Thomas continued to add to their lead in the fourth inning, with Moreno's RBI single, making it 8-1.

In the fifth inning, Centenary launched a comeback attempt, sparked by Boultinghouse's RBI single and Abigail Hodgson's RBI single, narrowing the gap to 8-3. Then, Isabelle Dominguez crushed a three-run homer, bringing the score to 8-6. However, St. Thomas managed to hold on for the win, despite Centenary's late surge.

Both teams displayed impressive offensive performances, but St. Thomas's early lead proved to be the difference-maker in securing the victory.