Pairings Announced For 2009 Food Lion SAC Softball Tournament
ROCK HILL, S.C. - Wingate University, which won its third regular-season conference title, will be the top seed for the 2009 tournament, which begins Thursday at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C.
Wingate went 13-3 in conference to claim the championship. The Bulldogs (28-11-1 overall) will face Brevard College (2-14, 16-24) in a first-round game at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday. Brevard tied Lincoln Memorial University for the eighth seed, but earned the tiebreaker. Brevard and LMU split its regular-season series, but Brevard beat fifth-seed Catawba for its other conference win, while LMU's other conference win came against seventh-seed Tusculum.
Host Lenoir-Rhyne University is the second seed. Lenoir-Rhyne (11-5, 34-9) will face seventh-seed Tusculum (4-12, 13-29) at 2:30 p.m. Lenoir-Rhyne tied Mars Hill for second place in the regular-season standings, but earned the second seed by virtue of its two-game sweep over Mars Hill.
Mars Hill (11-5 SAC, 25-17) is the third seed and will face sixth-seed Carson-Newman College (9-7 SAC, 25-15) at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday. Carson-Newman is the defending tournament champion.
The tournament kicks off Thursday with fourth-seed Newberry College (10-6 SAC, 29-14) facing fifth-seed Catawba College (10-6 SAC, 23-17) at 10 a.m. Newberry and Catawba finished tied in the standings and split their regular-season series. Newberry earned the advantage of the higher seed by virtue of its victory over top-seed Wingate.
Tournament play continues with six games on Friday. Two games Friday will be played at Hickory High School.
Three more games are set for Saturday. The championship game will be played Sunday at Lenoir-Rhyne at 1 p.m., with a second game, if necessary, to follow.
All-Tournament tickets will be available at the gate for $12 for adults and $6 for students and children. Daily ticket prices are $6 for adults and $3 for students and children.
Thursday, April 23
Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Tournament
At Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, NC
Game 1: No. 5 Catawba vs. No. 4 Newberry, 10 am
Game 2: No. 6 Carson-Newman vs. No. 3 Mars Hill, 12:15 pm
Game 3: No. 7 Tusculum vs. No. 2 Lenoir-Rhyne, 2:30 pm
Game 4: No. 8 Brevard vs. No. 1 Wingate, 4:45 pm
Friday, April 24
Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Tournament
At Hickory High School, Hickory, NC
Game 5: Carson-Newman/Mars Hill loser vs. Tusculum/Lenoir-Rhyne
loser, 11 am
Game 6: Catawba/Newberry loser vs. Brevard/Wingate loser, 1:30
pm
At Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, NC
Game 7: Carson-Newman/Mars Hill winner vs. Tusculum/Lenoir-Rhyne
winner, 11 am
Game 8: Newberry/Catawba winner vs. Wingate/Brevard winner, 1:30
pm
Game 9: Game 8 loser vs. Game 5 winner, 4 pm
Game 10: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 loser, 6:30 pm
Saturday, April 25
Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Tournament
At Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, NC
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, Noon
Game 12: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 2:30 pm
Game 13: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 loser, 5 pm
Sunday, April 26
Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Tournament
At Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, NC
Championship Game 14: Game 12 winner vs. Game 13 winner, 1 pm
Game 15 (if necessary), Game 14 winner vs. Game 14 loser, 3:30
pm