Big First Takes UVa-Wise Past Tenn. Wesleyan in Softball Regional

May 7, 2008

New Albany, Ind. – UVa-Wise jumped on Tennessee Wesleyan with four hits and plated four runs which turned out to more than enough for the softball victory. The Lady Cavs moved into the NAIA Region XII Tournament winner’s bracket with the 5-2 win over the Lady Bulldogs.

UVa-Wise (27-17) will face host Indiana-Southeast on Thursday afternoon in the winner’s bracket for a game slated for 2:00 p.m.

Sarah Frazier (Big Stone Gap, Va.) had the lone UVa-Wise extra base hit with a run-scoring triple and a single. Maddi Ridenour (Suffolk, Va.), Bobbi Mihelarakis (Sterling, Va.), Shelley Newton (Chesapeake, Va.) and Britney Lawson (Duffield, Va.) produced two singles apiece. Mary Wilson (Va. Beach, Va.) and Christine Cantone (Va. Beach, Va.) added singles.

Lauren Snead ( Troutville, Va.) went the distance on the mound. She allowed six hits, did not walk a batter and struck out three to improve to 13-9.

In the top of the first, Ridenour drew a walk and Mihelarakis singled to start the line of hits. Newton drove in the first run before both Wilson and Cantone followed with run-scoring singles apiece to chase Tennessee Wesleyan (20-28) starter Katie Goins. Melanie Sutherland (Birchleaf, Va.) knocked home the final run of the at bat with a sac fly to plate Wilson for the 4-0 lead.

The Lady Bulldogs scored once in the bottom of the fourth before the Lady Cavs answered in the fifth. Sutherland reached on a fielder’s choice and raced home on a Frazier triple to make it 5-1.

Tennessee Wesleyan pushed across one more run in the home sixth but could get no more against Snead to fall 5-2.

VAW 400 010 0 5-12-3
TWC 000 101 0 2-6-2

VAW-Lauren Snead and Shelley Newton
TWC-Katie Goins, Brittany Webb (1) and Ginny Swearengen

WP: Snead (13-9); LP: Goins
3B: Frazier (VAW)