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May 11, 2006Williams And Jeffs Homers Lift Lady Flames To Victory Over Winthrop At Big South Softball Championship
Radford, Va.
No. 3 Liberty scored one run in the first and third in the second en route to a 4-1 victory over No. 6 Texas A&M Corpus Christi in Game 3 of the 2006 Big South Softball Championship presented Aéropostale, Thursday evening, at Dedmon Center Field.
With the victory, Liberty raises its record to 39-21 on the season and propels the Lady Flames into a match-up with No. 2 Radford in Game 5 of the Championship later on in the evening.
The loss drops Texas A&M Corpus Christi to 9-34 on the season and into the loser’s bracket as the Islanders will face No. 7 Charleston Southern tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. in Game 6 of the Championship with the loser being eliminated from the event.
The Lady Flames didn’t waste any time taking a lead in the contest as a pair of all-conference selections gave Liberty a 1-0 lead. Dawn Jeffs, who was named to the first-team all-conference squad at last night’s awards banquet, started the frame with a single to center field.
Jeffs moved over to second base on a wild pitch by starting pitcher Amanda Foster, while second-team all-conference selection Ashley Williams drove Jeffs in with her conference-leading 56th RBI of the year with a single back up the middle to give the Lady Flames a 1-0 advantage.
The Lady Flames added to their lead in the bottom of the second inning as Liberty capitalized on a pair of Islanders’ errors. Terra Lowe started the scoring as she grounded to shortstop, but her throw to first wasn’t able to get the potential final out of the inning.
After Lowe moved to second on a pass ball, Jessica Leary lofted a ball to right center field, but Andrea Simancas wasn’t able to handle the ball, allowing Lowe to score on the play.
First-team all-conference selection Jessica Moore pushed the lead to four runs with a historic two-run homer as the shortstop connected on her 19th round tripper of the year to straightaway center field, breaking her own team record of 18 set last year to give Liberty a 4-0 edge.
Caitlin Kessler got Texas A&M Corpus Christi on the scoreboard as the designated player connected on her first career home run as the ninth batter in the lineup got one over the fence in left field to cut Liberty’s lead to 4-1.
The rest of the game was dominated by the pitchers as the two teams combined for just one hit over the last four innings of the contest on a single by Crystal Russell in the fourth.
Terra Lowe came in to relieve starting pitcher Sarah Swor early in the fourth inning and tossed 3 2/3 innings of hitless ball, while striking out five batters to up her record to 15-9. Swor started the game and allowed one run on four hits in 3 1/3 innings of work.
Foster suffered the loss as she allowed four runs, with only one run being earned, on four hits in two innings of work and three strikeouts. Jennifer Cummings tossed four innings of effective relief as she didn’t allow a hit in four innings, while allowing two walks and striking out two batters.
Jeffs led the Lady Flames from the plate as she was 2-for-3 with a run scored, while Moore was 1-for-3 with the two-run homer and Williams was 1-for-3 with the RBI single.
May 12, 2006
Radford, Va.
A three-run homer by Ashley Williams in the third and a grand slam home run by Dawn Jeffs in the fourth propelled No. 3 seed Liberty to an 8-3 victory over No. 5 seed Winthrop in Game 8 of the 2006 Big South Softball Championship presented Aéropostale, Friday afternoon, at Dedmon Center Field.
The victory gives Liberty its 40th victory of the season, marking the second time in the history of the program that Liberty has recorded 40 wins in a year. Liberty is now 40-22 on the season, leaving the squad just a win short of the school record as the 1999 team finished the season with a 41-25 record.
The Eagles jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Winthrop capitalized on a Liberty error to extend the inning and jump out to the three-run lead.
Lisa Kingsmore started things off with a single down the left field line, while Sarah Magee grounded back to Sarah Swor in the circle but she wasn’t able to handle the ball and both runners were safe on the play.
Both runners advanced a base as Hilary Peacock grounded out to second base, while Laura Hill dropped in a single to left field to plate Kingsmore and Magee. Lindsey Merriman followed with a single to right field to drive in Hill to cap off the three-run first inning.
The score remained the same until the third inning when the Lady Flames finally got their offense going, beginning with a single up the middle by Terra Lowe. Jessica Leary moved the runner up with a sacrifice fly, while Jessica Moore reached base on a walk.
Jeffs followed with a single through the left side of the infield, while Beth Bennett gave Liberty its first run of the game when she lofted a fly ball to left field that allowed Lowe to score on the sacrifice fly.
Williams followed with a three-run homer well over the fence in straightaway center field, marking the second-team all-conference catcher’s 14th homer of the season, giving Liberty a 4-3 lead. The three RBI on the play gives the sophomore 60 on the season, tying the school record as Meredith Hollyfield also recorded 60 RBI in 2000.
The Lady Flames continued to add to their lead in the fourth inning, starting with an infield single off the bat of Beth Hensley, while Leary added a single through the left side of the infield to give Liberty runners at the corners.
Moore, who entered the game tied for the conference lead with 20 home runs, was issued an intentional free pass to load the bases. And Jeffs make Winthrop play for the decision as the first-team all-conference honoree connected on her seventh home run of the year with an opposite field grand slam to give Liberty an 8-3.
Swor was able to settle down over the final six innings of the game as the junior scattered five hits over the last six frames to up her record to 16-10 on the season. In total, Swor allowed eight hits and three unearned runs in the complete-game victory.
Izzy Trottier suffered the loss as she allowed four runs on four hits in 2 2/3 innings of work to fall to 2-7 on the year, while Shahna Ashard (0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO) and Julie Harvey (2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO) finished off the rest of the game.
Jeffs led the Lady Flames from the plate as she was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and four RBI, while Williams was 1-for-2 with a run scored and three RBI.
With the victory, No. 3 seed Liberty advances to Game 10 of the 2006 Big South Softball Championship where they will face No. 4 Birmingham-Southern, who earlier today defeated No. 6 Texas A&M Corpus Christi, 8-0, in an elimination game.
May 13, 2006Highlanders Down Lady Flames To Advance To Title Game At Big South Softball Championship
Radford, Va.
An RBI single up the middle by Jessica Moore in the bottom of the sixth inning proved to be the deciding run in one of the stranger games in tournament history as No. 3 Liberty staved off elimination with a 6-5 win over No. 4 Birmingham-Southern in Game 10 of the 2006 Big South Softball Championship presented Aéropostale, Friday evening, at Dedmon Center Field.
With the victory, the Lady Flames improve their overall record to 41-22 on the season, tying the school record for victories in a year as the 1999 team finished the season with a 41-25 record.
The Lady Flames jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning as Liberty mounted a two-out rally, starting with a walk by Beth Hensley followed by a two-run homer by Terra Lowe, her sixth of the year, to left field to give Liberty a two-run lead.
Birmingham-Southern tied the game in the top of the third inning as Kayla Backland led off the frame by drawing a walk. Two batters later, Backland moved to second on a ground out by Brooke Reed, while the center fielder scored on a base hit up the middle by Grace Stokes.
After Nikki Rombough was intentionally walked and Jennifer Wellborn loaded the bases with an infield single, Stokes scored and Rombough and Wellborn moved up on a wild pitch to tie the game at 2-2.
Melissa Taunton walked to continue the drama off the inning to load the bases, while Heather Fox homered to straightaway center field for a grand slam which should have given the Panthers a 6-2 lead.
However, the home run was negated because Rombough, who was on third base before the home run, forgot to touch home plate and was called out, which was the third out of the inning to end the strange frame.
The score remained the same until the fifth inning when Lowe started the inning with a walk, while two batters later, Moore connected on her third home run of the Championship and school record 21st of the season with a two-run opposite field homer.
Dawn Jeffs followed with a double high off the fence in right field, while Beth Bennett gave the Lady Flames a 5-2 lead with a RBI single down the left field line to plate Jeffs and push Liberty’s lead to three runs.
The Panthers trimmed the lead to one run in the top of the sixth inning as Fox started the two-run inning with a walk, while Schmissrauter singled to right field, but the ball got past Jessica Leary for a two-base error that allowed Fox to score and Schmissrauter to move to third base.
Backland followed with a base hit to right field to score Schmissrauter and pull Birmingham-Southern to within a run, 5-4.
Liberty added an insurance run in the sixth inning as Hensley started the inning with a walk, while a ball hit by Leary up the middle was mishandled by Reed to give Liberty runners at the corners. And first-team all-conference selection Moore came through for the Lady Flames again with a RBI base hit up the middle to plate Hensley and give Liberty a 6-4 lead.
And the Lady Flames would certainly need the extra run as the Panthers mounted a final inning run. Wellborn reached base on a fielder’s choice play, while Taunton followed with a base hit up the middle.
Pinch hitter Tifani Talbert lofted a fly ball to center field to allow Wellborn to score, while pinch runner Anne Lawrence tagged up as well to move to third base. But Sarah Swor was able to get Backland to ground to second to end the game and allow the Lady Flames to advance to tomorrow’s action.
Lowe picked up the victory to up her record to 16-10 on the season as she allowed three runs on three hits in 5 1/3 innings of work, while Swor picked up her third save of year by allowing two runs on four hits in the final 1 2/3 innings of the contest.
Kristina Villavicencio suffered the loss and falls to 17-11 on the year as she allowed five runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings of work, while Erin Haggard finished off the final 1 2/3 innings of action by allowing an unearned run on two hits.
Moore led the team from the plate as she was 2-for-4 for the game with a run scored and three RBI, while Bennett was 2-for-3 with a RBI single.
With the victory, the No. 3 seed Liberty advance to Game 11 of the 2006 Big South Softball Championship when they will face No. 2 seed Radford, who lost, 1-0, to No. 1 seed Coastal Carolina earlier this evening.
The winner of Game 11 will advance to the championship game when they will face No. 1 seed Coastal Carolina for the conference title and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
May 13, 2006
Radford, Va.
No. 2 seed Radford plated four runs in the third and three more in the sixth, while Big South Pitcher of the Year Ashley Taylor settled down to lead the Highlanders to a 7-2 victory over No. 3 seed Liberty in Game 11 of the 2006 Big South Softball Championship presented Aéropostale, Saturday morning, at Dedmon Center Field.
With the loss, the Lady Flames finish the season with a 41-23 overall record, which ties the school record for wins in a season as the 1999 squad finished the year with a 41-25 record.
The Lady Flames jumped out on top quickly as Liberty plated two runs on two hits in the top of the first inning. First-team all-conference honoree Dawn Jeffs started things by reaching first on a fielder’s choice play.
Beth Bennett followed by drawing a walk, while Ashley Williams doubled off the bottom of the fence in left field to plate Jeffs and give the catcher her 61st RBI of the season to set a new school record as she surpasses the previous record of 60 set by Meredith Hollyfield in 2000.
Two batters later, Shannon McKain was issued the third walk of the inning to load the bases again. Beth Hensley singled to straightaway center field to drive in Bennett from third, while Williams was thrown out at the plate on the play as she rounded third and slipped on the play and was tagged out for the final out of the inning.
Radford was able to get its offense going in the third inning as the Highlanders got three hits and plated four unearned runs as a costly error for Liberty extended the inning that allowed the Highlanders to take a 4-2 lead.
Ashley Carlson started things with an infield single, while the center fielder moved to second base on her team-leading 21st stolen base of the year. Alex Roderick grounded a hard shot down to Bennett at first base, but she wasn’t able to make the play, giving the Highlanders runners at the corners.
After a strikeout by Amanda Walling, Ashley Taylor singled to the gap in right center field to plate both Carlson and Roderick to tie the game, while Cassie Rhodes followed with her fifth home run of the year with a two-run homer to left field to give Radford a 4-2 lead.
The Highlanders added three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning as Danielle Tompkins was able to reach first on a throwing error on a tough play by Jessica Moore. Jennifer Everhart followed with a double to the gap in left center field to drive in pinch runner Larissa Williams, while Anne Tatum cleared the bases with a two-run run home run just over the fence in left field to give the Highlanders all the runs they would need.
After getting roughed up in the first inning, Taylor settled down and retired 18 of the last 19 batters of the game with a single by Williams in the sixth as the only hit over the final six frames. With the victory, Taylor upped her record to 20-9 on the year as she allowed two runs on three hits, while striking out 11 batters in seven innings worked.
Sarah Swor suffered the loss and finishes the year with a 16-11 record as she allowed seven runs, with just two earned, on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings of work, while Terra Lowe finished off the final 2/3 innings of work.
Williams led the Lady Flames from the plate as she was 2-for-3 with the record-setting RBI, while Hensley was 1-for-3 with a RBI base hit.
With the victory, the No. 2 seed Radford advance to Game 12 of the 2006 Big South Softball Championship where they will face No. 1 seed Coastal Carolina at 1 p.m. today.
If Coastal Carolina wins the game, the Chanticleers will claim the conference’s title, while a victory by Radford will force a second title game with the victory winning the title and receiving the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals.
JLFJR wrote:Thanks for your input, PA! Very helpful.
2006 All-Tournament Team
Birmingham-Southern - Nikki Rombough
Liberty – Ashley Williams
Radford – Cassie Rhodes,
Radford – Jennifer Everhart
Radford – Ashley Taylor
Coastal Carolina – Christine Doyle
Coastal Carolina - Sara Hostetler
Coastal Carolina - Kelly Feely
Coastal Carolina - Glynn Tolleson
MVP – Christine Doyle, Coastal Carolina
JLFJR wrote:Thanks for your input, PA! Very helpful.
- By olldflame
- By Purple Haize