Lady Cavs Drop Two Close Games to Finish Run at NAIA Softball Nationals

May 19, 2007
SCAD Boxscore

DSU Boxscore

Decatur, AL – For the second time, UVA-Wise finished its run at the NAIA Softball National Championships without a win as it dropped two close games Saturday. 15th-ranked Savannah College of Art & Design used a three-run fourth and fended off UVA-Wise’s charge for a 5-2 win in the early game before 16 th-rated Dickinson State (ND) punched across the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth for a 2-1 win in the night contest.

The 2007 Lady Cavs’ season finishes at 32-27. The team dropped all four of the Pool Play games against ranked teams including top ranked Cal Baptist and defending champ University of Mobile.

UVA-Wise posted five hits in each of the Saturday games. Sarah Frazier (Big Stone Gap, VA) lined two singles and Mary Wilson (Va. Beach, VA) added two hits in the second game. Hannah Ellis (Keokee, VA) doubled in the opener and singled in the late contest while Amber Harvey (Millboro, VA) singled in each game. Shelley Newton (Chesapeake, VA) tripled against Dickinson State and accounted for three rbi on the day. Britney Lawson (Duffield, VA) had the final single.

After a scoreless inning and a half, Heather Ellis belted a solo homer for a 1-0 SCAD lead. The score remained 1-0 until the home fourth. With two outs, the Bees saw a walk and single put two runners on base. Pitcher Meghan Templed doubled home both runners before she was hit in by Andrea Helenthal’s hit for a 4-0 tally.

In the top of the sixth, Frazier singled to left center and Lawson followed her with an infield hit. After the second out, Newton’s hit to deep center was dropped to plate both runners and cut the difference to 4-2. It would be as close as UVA-Wise would get.

SCAD added an insurance run on a sac fly to make it 5-2. With two outs, Ellis doubled, Alicia King (Castlewood, VA) walked and Frazier singled to load the bases before Temple enticed Lawson to ground out to second to end the game.

Against Dickinson State, UVA-Wise enjoyed its lone lead of the two days. With two outs, Harvey singled down the left field line and was drove home when Newton followed with a tripled down in the right field corner to edge ahead 1-0.

The Blue Hawks tied the game, 1-1, in the home fourth when Mary Wilson’s throw home from right field was off line to score an unearned tally by Dana Dunsmore.

The game remained at 1-1 through the seventh inning. The Lady Cavs went down in order in the top of the eighth. For the Blue Hawks, Kristen Fleury drew a walk from Lauren Snead (Troutville, VA) to lead off. Fleury was sacrificed to third before coming in with the winning run two batters later on Leah Glasgow’s two-bagger to right field for a 2-1 final.