WAUKESHA, Wisc. – In a battle of the two teams that were tied for 12th in the last National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25, the Salisbury University softball team walked off 5-4 winners in the bottom of the seventh over the Christopher Newport Captains to advance to the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Championship Finals.

BOX SCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED

• CNU took the early 3-0 lead in the second inning. After CNU loaded the bases with no outs, Kensley Hess scored the opening run of the contest on an error by second base. Two batters later, Maddie Hull drove in two with a single to right field.
• Salisbury cut the CNU lead to 3-2 in the fourth inning. Lindsey Windsor reached on an error to open the inning before Kaleigh Edwards knocked her in with a double to left-center field. Edwards scored later in the inning when Natalie Paoli came through with two outs with a single.
• The Sea Gulls tied the game at three in the bottom of the fifth when Francesca Cuttitta scored on a throwing error by the CNU pitcher.
• Paoli gave Salisbury the 4-3 lead in the bottom of the sixth with a leadoff home run over the left-field wall.
• The Captains tied the game in the seventh inning when Kaitlyn Hasty nearly hit a grand slam but was held to a single and one run scored. With the bases loaded and no outs, Savannah Sheats was able to work out the jam with the game still tied.
• To lead off the seventh inning, Edwards sent the Sea Gulls to Saturday's championship with a home run over the right-field wall.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Kaleigh Edwards and Natalie Paoli both tallied two hits in the win with a home run and two runs driven in. Edwards scored twice and was also walked twice.
• Abby Mace and Lauren Meyers each notched a hit in the win.
• Lindsey Windsor pitched six innings in the start. She allowed four hits, four walks and four runs (two earned) but struck out a trio of Captains.
• Savannah Sheats (W, 9-3) earned the win in relief of Windsor. She entered the game in the seventh with the bases loaded and no outs and got out of the inning with only one run across.

CNU GAME NOTES

• Gracie Vallejos (L, 12-6) struck out 10 but gave up six hits, five runs (two earned) and four walks along with a pair of home runs.
• Maddie Hool drove in two runs in her lead-off spot.

UP NEXT

• Salisbury will look to win the inaugural C2C Softball Championship on Saturday as they face the winner of the CNU/Mary Washington game at 1:30 p.m. / 12:30 p.m. CT.
• The if-necessary game will follow at 3 p.m. / 2 p.m. CT.