SALISBURY, Md. – The 10th-ranked Salisbury University softball team saw its 2011 season come to a heartbreaking end on Sunday afternoon, falling to Christopher Newport University in the Regional final.

But the Sea Gulls (36-6) won their first game of the day, against Rowan University, by a score of 6-4. Salisbury scored a run in the first inning against the Profs to take the early 1-0 lead when sophomore Hannah Mills drove home classmate Michelle Gravdahl.

The Profs would plate a pair of runs in the third inning to take a 2-1 lead before sophomore Sarah Alpaugh homered to tie the game in the bottom of the inning. A four-run outburst in the bottom of the fourth was all senior reliever Kelly Leary needed to put away the victory, her 12th of the season, which advanced the Gulls to the final game against the Captains.

Salisbury suffered its first loss of the tournament to Christopher Newport yesterday, while the Captains remained undefeated through the Salisbury Regional to earn their trip to the College World Series. Of Salisbury's six losses in 2011, four came at the hands of Christopher Newport.

The first three innings of Sunday's contest were tightly contested—neither team was able to put together a series of plays to get on the board—but the Captains' bats came alive in the fourth inning and they jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Five additional runs in the fifth inning seemed to put the game out of reach, but the Sea Gulls dug in and put three runs on the board to cut Christopher Newport's advantage. Nine Captain runs in the sixth inning sealed the deal and gave them the Regional championship. 

The contest marked the end of the highly successful careers of three Sea Gull seniors: Leary, third baseman Kristin Lord and outfielder Taylor Webb. Together, the trio posted an incredible four-year record of 144-24.