SALISBURY, Md. - Junior
catcher Lauren Brenneman delivered a clutch hit
when her team needed her most when she hit the ball up the
middle in the bottom of the seventh inning, with two outs, to score
two runs including the game-winner. No. 11 Salisbury (37-5) won its
third straight elimination game in two days as the Sea Gulls
enacted revenge against Christopher Newport University with a
thrilling 3-2 victory on Saturday in the NCAA Division III
first-round tournament at the SU Softball Complex.
Salisbury advances to Championship Sunday where the second-seed
Sea Gulls will face third-seed Emory University at Noon in another
elimination game. The winner of that game will face fourth-seed
Bridgewater (Va.) College with the chance to advance to the 2009
NCAA Division III Softball Championship that begins May 15 at
Montclair State University.
Emory (32-11) lost its first game of the tournament on Saturday
afternoon as the Bridgewater Eagles won 2-1 in 11 innings. That was
the second win on the day for Bridgewater who sent home top-seed
Lynchburg College with a 4-2 win on Saturday morning.
SU entered the seventh inning against fifth-seed CNU (36-8) down
one, 2-1. Junior outfielder Jen Cahall (2-for-2,
one run) kept a sharp eye at the plate and earned a walk against
CNU pitcher Kristen Rowe (20-4). Senior outfielder Meaghan
O'Gara followed and moved Cahall into scoring position
with a sacrifice bunt. The eventual game-winning run came to the
plate in junior All-American shortstop Kelly
Waskewicz (one hit, one RBI), who reached base on a
fielder's choice play. An error by the Captains, their third of the
game, allowed Cahall to get to third base and Waskewicz over to
second. Junior Brittany Lounge struck out swinging; Rowe's seventh
of the game, as the Gulls were down to their final out of the
season. Brenneman stepped to the plate and hit the two-run single
up the middle of the CNU infield as Cahall and Waskewicz darted for
home plate. The SU bench emptied onto the field in celebration as
the victory ended CNU's season. The Captains swept a doubleheader
against the Sea Gulls back on March 11. That was the last time SU
lost during the regular-season as the Gulls rattled off 30 straight
wins before the NCAA first-round tournament.
Christopher Newport took the early lead in the top of the fifth
inning as it scored two runs off two hits. The Gulls were quick to
respond as they closed the gap by one in the bottom half of the
inning. Sophomore pitcher Kelsey Mills (16-2) led
off the inning as she kept a sharp eye at the plate and earned the
walk. Sophomore Taylor Webb came in to pinch-run
for Mills and advanced to second as sophomore third baseman
Kristin Lord laid down a sacrifice bunt. Cahall
singled up the middle to advance Webb to third. Waskewicz took
advantage of an error by the Captain's second baseman and brought
in Webb.
Mills earned her third straight win in the tournament as she
allowed two runs on five hits, walked three and struck out three.
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