Lady Cavs Fall Just Short of Region Repeat

May 10, 2008
UNION BOXSCORE

IUS GM1 BOXSCORE

IUS GM2 BOXSCORE

New Albany, Ind. – After rattling off two victories, the Lady Cavs fell just short of repeating at NAIA Region XII softball champions on Saturday.  UVa-Wise defeated Union College, 7-2, and Indiana-Southeast, 5-1, to force a second meeting.  UVa-Wise tied Indiana-Southeast on a Britney Lawson two-run homer in the top of the seventh before the host plated the game-winning for a 9-8 win.

UVa-Wise (29-19) reached the region final for the fourth year in a row where it is now 2-2.  Indiana-Southeast (33-11) will make its first trip to the NAIA National Championships.

Lawson compiled six hits with two home runs and a triple in the three contests. Hannah Ellis had one of her best days of her career with five hits with a double and at least a hit in each affair. Shelley Newton and Christine Cantone singled in each of the tripleheader. Mary Wilson lined a home run and double to go with a pair of singles.

vs. Union

The Lady Cavs scored in each of its first three at bats to open a 5-0 advantage they would not relinquish. After a single run first, Ellis doubled and Lawson tripled for the second and third runs in the second frame. Wilson homered in the third to make it 5-0. Ellis singled home the final two runs in the fifth before the final tally of 7-2.

vs. Indiana-Southeast – Championship Gm. 1

In the first championship game, UVa-Wise broke open a tied game, 1-1, with a big four-run fourth inning. Cantone singled, Wilson reached on a fielder’s choice to start the trip to the plate. Ellis singled home Cantone for the first tally. Lawson followed by belting a three-run round-tripper to cap the scoring for a 5-1 lead.

Snead shut down the Grenadiers over the final four innings as she struck out eight of 12 outs to force the if necessary game.

vs. Indiana-Southeast – Championship Gm. 2 

Following a scoreless opening frame, the Lady Cavs exploded for their biggest outburst of the three games. In the top of the second, Ellis singled home the first run. The second run scored on a home team error and Bobbi Mihelarakis drew a bases loaded walk before Newton drove home both Lawson and Ridenour to make it 5-0.

IUS chipped away at the margin with a pair of runs in both the bottom of the second and third innings for a 5-4 mark. UVa-Wise scored once in the fourth before IUS netted four runs in home half for its first lead, 8-6.

In the top of the seventh, Ellis was hit by a pitch before Lawson blasted her second home run of the day to tie the game, 8-8. The region title hopes was dashed in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs and a runner on second, Rehyer singled to right center to plate the game-winning tally for the 9-8 victory.

Game 1 vs. Union

                    1   2   3   4   5   6   7      R    H    E
UVAW          1   2   2        2               7     7    1
Union                     1                  1     2     7    2

UVA-Lauren Snead, Amanda Wheeler Sims (4) and Shelley Newton
UC-DeVault and Outland

WP: Snead; LP: DeVault: SV Wheeler Sims
2B: Driver (UC) 2, Davis (UC), Ellis (UVA); 3B: Lawson; HR: Wilson

Game 2 vs. IUS

                               1   2    3    4    5    6    7     R    H    E
IUS                                    1                             1    8     3
UVAW                     1               4                       5    7    0

IUS-Bennett and Hornung
UVA-McCoy, Snead (4) and Newton

WP: Snead; LP: Bennett
2B: DeWeese (IUS) 2; 3B: Reyher (IUS); HR: Lawson (UVA)

Game 3 vs. IUS

                     1   2    3    4    5    6    7      R    H    E
UVAW                5          1               2      8    11    2
IUS                    2    2     4               1      9    16    4

UVA-Wheeler Sims, Snead, McCoy and Newton
IUS-Zollman and Hornung

WP: Zollman; LP: McCoy
2B: Lawson (UVA), Wilson (UVA), Bartley (IUS), Andres (IUS), DeWeese (IUS); HR: Lawson (UVA), Bartley (IUS)