Carson-Newman, Wingate Advance To Championship Of Food Lion SAC Softball Tournament

HICKORY, N.C. -- The Wingate University Bulldogs defeated Catawba College 13-1 Saturday afternoon to advance to the championship game in the 2009 Food Lion SAC softball tournament. The Bulldogs improve to 33-13-1 overall and will take on Carson-Newman College Sunday. If Wingate wins game one, the teams will play again, with the winner being the tournament champion. Catawba falls to 25-19 on the year.

Junior designated player Debra Grijalva (San Jose, Calif.) and junior first baseman Leyila Myers (Marietta, Ga.) each a homer and five RBI to lead the Wingate offense. Junior infielder Julie Broyer (Hollister, Calif.) was two-for-three with an RBI and two runs scored for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the second on a sacrifice fly from freshman outfielder Jessica Bowen (Matthews, N.C.). Myers blasted a three-run homer in the third to put Wingate on top 4-0.

After an RBI walk from junior infielder Allie Marshall (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) made it 4-1, the Bulldogs added five more runs in the fourth. Grijalva got it started with a two-run single. Sophomore infielder Emily Chavis (Berkeley Lake, Ga.) added an RBI fielder's choice while Myers capped the scoring with an RBI double to make it 9-1.

Wingate scored four more runs in the fifth, with the big blow coming off the bat of Grijalva, as she blasted a three-run homer to make it 13-1.

Sophomore Brittany Blankenship (Midlothian, Va.) got the win, allowing one run on five hits while striking out four in five innings of work to improve to 18-7 on the year. Sophomore Meghan Cobb (Richmond, Va.) took the loss for Catawba, allowing six runs on six hits in 3.1 innings of work, falling to 8-8 on the season.

Carson-Newman 10, Catawba 7

HICKORY, N.C. - Sophomore pitcher Brittany Linton (Marietta, Ga.) allowed just one run on two hits in 3 2/3 innings of relief work in helping sixth-seeded Carson-Newman hold off fifth-seeded Catawba for a 10-7 victory in the 2009 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Tournament Saturday afternoon at Bears Field.

With the win, the Lady Eagles (28-15) advance to their second-straight SAC championship game and will face the winner of the loser's bracket final between No. 5 Catawba (25-18) and No. 1 Wingate on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Linton, who improved to 5-2 on the season with the win, entered the game in the bottom of the fourth inning with the bases loaded and C-N leading 7-6. She struck out Erin Witalison (Gold Hill, N.C.) to record the second out of the inning and then was able to get Kathryn Geouge (Canton, N.C.) to ground out to end the threat.

The Lady Eagles went on to put the game away by adding a pair of runs in the fifth and one in the seventh to build a 10-6 lead.

C-N collected 11 hits on the day, including two each from Whitney Durham (Rossville, Ga.), Stephanie Templeton (Ringgold, Ga.) and Amber Palmer (Kennesaw, Ga.). Freshman Mary Shealy (Clinton, S.C.) added a three-run double, while Jessie Howard (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Palmer finished with two RBIs each.

The Indians tallied 10 hits. Ryann Baker (Rockwell, N.C.) went 3-for-5, including two home runs, and had three RBIs. Jessie Whitesides (Yadkinville, N.C.) also contributed three hits in the loss.

Catawba starting pitcher Meghan Cobb (Richmond, Va.) (8-7) was tagged with the loss after surrendering six runs (five earned) on six hits in 5 1/3 innings in the circle.

The Lady Eagles built a 3-0 lead in the top of the first on a three-run double by Shealy.

Catawba answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third to trim C-N's lead to 3-2.

Baker led off the inning with a solo home run to left centerfield. Brittany Thornburg (Kings Mountain, N.C.) and Whitesides each added infield singles, while Templeton, who started the game for C-N, walked two in the inning.

C-N added to its lead in the top of the fourth with a four-run outburst.

Whitney Kee (Knoxville, Tenn.) reached base on a fielding error to lead off the inning and later scored on a Palmer double. Brianne Coon (Orlando, Fla.) drew a walk. Howard then stepped to the plate and delivered a two-run single. Templeton drove in the final run of the inning with a bunt single to third base to give the Lady Eagles a 7-2 cushion.

The Indians responded with four runs in the bottom of the fourth to cut C-N's lead to 7-6.

Baker contributed a RBI double in the inning, while Whitesides and Cassie Markham (New Port Richey, Fla.) each produced a run-scoring single. Alli Justice (Bishopville, Md.) brought in a run by drawing a bases loaded walk to pull Catawba to within one, but Linton allowed just one run the rest of the way, a Thornburg solo home run in the seventh, to seal the win for C-N.

Wingagte 8, Lenoir-Rhyne 0

Hickory, N.C. -- The Wingate University Bulldogs used a seven-run second inning to defeat the Bears of Lenoir-Rhyne University 8-0 in five innings on day three action of the 2009 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference softball tournament. Wingate improves to 32-13-1 and advances to take on Catawba College Saturday evening. Lenoir-Rhyne falls to 36-11 and is eliminated from the SAC tournament.

Junior designated player Debra Grijalva (San Jose, Calif.) was two-for-two with two RBI and a run scored while senior outfielder Heather Winchester (Waxhaw, N.C.) also had two hits and an RBI for the Bulldogs. Junior outfielder LaRonda McClain (Kings Mountain, N.C.) added a two-for-three day with an RBI and a run scored.

The Bulldogs did the damage in the second, plating seven runs. Winchester scored the game's first run on an error. Senior third baseman Hallie Pettigrew (Uniontown, Ohio) followed with an RBI for a 2-0 lead. Grijalva followed with an RBI single, while junior first baseman Leyila Myers (Marietta, Ga.) drove in a run on a fielder's choice for a four-run lead. An RBI groundout from senior catcher Jamie Millen (Monroe, N.C.) was followed by a single from Winchester that plated a pair of runs to make it 7-0.

Wingate added one more run in the eighth when McClain scored on an RBI single from Grijalva, making it 8-0.

Sophomore Allison Smith (Daleville, Va.) got the win, allowing only three hits while striking out three in five innings of work, improving to 13-4 on the year. Freshman Dawon Millwood (Hixson, Tenn.) took the loss, allowing five runs on four hits in 1.1 innings. Freshman infielder Sarah Atkins (Newport News, Va.) was one-for-two with a double to lead the LRU offense.

The Bulldogs and Catawba Indians will play at 5 p.m., with the winner advancing to Sunday action. The winner will have to beat Carson-Newman twice to win the championship.

Lenoir-Rhyne 6, Newberry 5

Hickory, N.C. - Lenoir-Rhyne University's Brittany Cherry (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) delivered the game-winning, RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift No. 22 L-R (36-10) to a 6-5 victory over Newberry College (30-16) Saturday afternoon in an elimination game of the 2009 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Tournament at Bears Field. The Bears are the second seed in the tournament while Newberry is seeded fourth.

Lenoir-Rhyne faces top-seeded Wingate in another elimination game immediately following this contest.

The game was originally scheduled to be played Friday night but was halted in the bottom of the third inning with Lenoir-Rhyne ahead by a 1-0 score due to lightning and rain and picked up at 10:00 a.m., this morning.

Lenoir-Rhyne opened the scoring in its half of the first inning on a solo home run by Sarah Atkins (Newport News, Va.), her team-leading 10th of the year.

Cherry, who finished with two hits and a team-high three runs batted in, helped L-R push the lead to 2-0 with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning before Kat Rivers' (Roytson, Ga.) sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth pushed the margin to 3-0.

The game remained 3-0 until the top of the seventh inning when Newberry pinch hitter Jessica Reid (Walhalla, S.C.) tied the game with a three-run home run with two outs. The Scarlet and Gray wasn't done though as it plated two more runs in the frame thanks to an RBI double from Kat Hammond (Irmo, S.C.) and a run-scoring single by Amanda Huckestein (Port Charlotte, Fla.).

Lenoir-Rhyne would force extra innings after scoring a pair of runs in its half of the seventh on Cherry's sacrifice fly and Erin Evans' (Fort Pierce, Fla.) RBI single with two outs to tie the game at five.

The contest remained tied until Cherry's second hit of the afternoon scored Noel Belk (Charlotte, N.C.) in the ninth inning.

L-R's Dawon Millwood (Hixson, Tenn.) improved to 18-3 with the win while Newberry's Huckestein fell to 18-6 with the defeat.

Belk and Atkins both scored twice for the Bears while Huckestein added a pair of hits in the losing effort for Newberry.