Saturday, May 9
Radford, Va.
6:45 PM
Liberty University
26-35
1
at
10
Radford
39-13
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Radford | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 1 |
LU Falls to Radford in BSC Title Tilt
5/9/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The Radford offense dominated the contest from the very beginning, outhitting the Lady Flames 13-5, en route to a 10-1 win over Liberty in the 2009 Big South Championship title game, Saturday evening in Radford, Va.
The first inning of the second championship game was the exact opposite of the same frame in the previous contest, as the Highlanders took a quick 4-0 lead. The Radford defense came out strong, quickly shutting down the Liberty offense in a three-up, three-down at-bat, followed by a four-run swell in the bottom half of the frame.
Godfrey led off for the Highlanders with a bunt single, and advanced to third on a double by Kristen Shifflett. The momentum continued when Himan laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Godfrey, followed by a squeeze by Nichole Beall that got past Liberty's Beth Bennett, allowing Shifflett to score and Beall to advance to second. The nightmare for the Lady Flames continued on the next play, when Michelle Beall singled up the middle, driving in another run. Shannon Keefe then ripped another single up the middle to score Michelle Bealle. With one out, Tiffani Smith came in to relieve Liberty starter Sarah Ellis.
Jenn Everhart laid down the fourth bunt of the inning for the Highlanders, and safely reached first for a single as Keefe advanced to second. Smith then recorded the second out by fanning Hope Creasy, followed by a Radford double-steal to put runners on second and third with two outs. Lauren Williams lined out to Liberty third baseman J'nae Jefferson to end the Radford surge, and the game entered the second inning with the Highlanders up, 4-0.
Beth Bennett drew a walk to lead off the second inning, but was out on the next play on a 4-6-3 double play, and Amber DePasquale flied out to left field for the third out.
The Highlanders added another run to their lead, pushing the score to 5-0 in the bottom of the second when Shifflett nailed her 13th home run of the year with a solo shot down the left field line, setting a new Radford single-season record.
Jenna Eatmon continued her solid tournament hitting performance in the top of the third, when she tapped a two-out double over the glove of right-fielder Creasy. But the inning ended on the next play, when Hendrix singled with a bunt and beat the throw, but Eatmon was thrown out at home.
Godfrey initiated a two-out rally for the Highlanders in bottom of the fourth with an infield single, and Shifflett followed suit with a poke up the middle. But Himan grounded out on the next play as the contest moved into the fifth frame with the score still 5-0, Highlanders.
DePasquale sent a 1-2 pitch back up the middle for Liberty's third hit of the game to lead off the fifth, which has been Liberty's biggest scoring inning this season. Howard then drew a walk to bring up Jenny Law with runners on first and second and nobody out. Law grounded out to first, but the runners were able to advance, and Eatmon came to the plate for the Lady Flames. After Eatmon struck out swinging, pinch hitter Ashley Bensinger popped out to second, and Liberty stranded two runners on a missed scoring opportunity.
The Highlanders padded their lead in the bottom of the fifth, as Nichole Beall led off with a single up the middle, and Michelle Beall homered over the center field fence to give the Highlanders a 7-0 advantage.
The Lady Flames put a run on the board in the top of the sixth, when McMillon ripped a two-out single up the middle, scoring Strickland from second base. But DePasquale struck out swinging, and the game entered the bottom of the sixth.
The Highlanders closed it out in the bottom of the sixth, as the host team scored three runs to seal the victory. Williams led off with a single through the left side, and moved to second when Godfrey grounded out to first. Shifflett singled on the next play, and a fielding error by Strickland allowed Williams to score. Himan then ended the game by hitting a two-run shot over the left field fence, giving Radford a 10-1 victory and the 2009 Big South tournament title. The championship marks the Highlanders' first-ever Big South Conference crown.
McMillon led the Lady Flames, batting 1-for-3 and driving in Liberty's lone run of the game.
Radford was paced by Shifflett, who batted 4-for-4 with with an RBI and three runs scored, and Himan, who was 1-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored.
Ellis (14-23) took the loss, giving up four runs (two earned) on four hits in 0.1 innings, while Smith scattered nine hits and struck out three batters in five complete innings.
Kelley (24-7), who struggled earlier in the day against the Lady Flames, got the job done in the teams' third meeting of the tournament, giving up five hits and striking out two batters in six innings of work.
The Highlanders improve to 39-13, and with the tournament win, earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The Lady Flames end their 2009 season with a 26-35 overall record, and their second straight runner-up finish in the Big South Championship.
Lady Flames Bennett, McMillon and Strickland were named to the 2009 Big South Championship all-tournament team during the awards presentation after the game.
The first inning of the second championship game was the exact opposite of the same frame in the previous contest, as the Highlanders took a quick 4-0 lead. The Radford defense came out strong, quickly shutting down the Liberty offense in a three-up, three-down at-bat, followed by a four-run swell in the bottom half of the frame.
Godfrey led off for the Highlanders with a bunt single, and advanced to third on a double by Kristen Shifflett. The momentum continued when Himan laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Godfrey, followed by a squeeze by Nichole Beall that got past Liberty's Beth Bennett, allowing Shifflett to score and Beall to advance to second. The nightmare for the Lady Flames continued on the next play, when Michelle Beall singled up the middle, driving in another run. Shannon Keefe then ripped another single up the middle to score Michelle Bealle. With one out, Tiffani Smith came in to relieve Liberty starter Sarah Ellis.
Jenn Everhart laid down the fourth bunt of the inning for the Highlanders, and safely reached first for a single as Keefe advanced to second. Smith then recorded the second out by fanning Hope Creasy, followed by a Radford double-steal to put runners on second and third with two outs. Lauren Williams lined out to Liberty third baseman J'nae Jefferson to end the Radford surge, and the game entered the second inning with the Highlanders up, 4-0.
Beth Bennett drew a walk to lead off the second inning, but was out on the next play on a 4-6-3 double play, and Amber DePasquale flied out to left field for the third out.
The Highlanders added another run to their lead, pushing the score to 5-0 in the bottom of the second when Shifflett nailed her 13th home run of the year with a solo shot down the left field line, setting a new Radford single-season record.
Jenna Eatmon continued her solid tournament hitting performance in the top of the third, when she tapped a two-out double over the glove of right-fielder Creasy. But the inning ended on the next play, when Hendrix singled with a bunt and beat the throw, but Eatmon was thrown out at home.
Godfrey initiated a two-out rally for the Highlanders in bottom of the fourth with an infield single, and Shifflett followed suit with a poke up the middle. But Himan grounded out on the next play as the contest moved into the fifth frame with the score still 5-0, Highlanders.
DePasquale sent a 1-2 pitch back up the middle for Liberty's third hit of the game to lead off the fifth, which has been Liberty's biggest scoring inning this season. Howard then drew a walk to bring up Jenny Law with runners on first and second and nobody out. Law grounded out to first, but the runners were able to advance, and Eatmon came to the plate for the Lady Flames. After Eatmon struck out swinging, pinch hitter Ashley Bensinger popped out to second, and Liberty stranded two runners on a missed scoring opportunity.
The Highlanders padded their lead in the bottom of the fifth, as Nichole Beall led off with a single up the middle, and Michelle Beall homered over the center field fence to give the Highlanders a 7-0 advantage.
The Lady Flames put a run on the board in the top of the sixth, when McMillon ripped a two-out single up the middle, scoring Strickland from second base. But DePasquale struck out swinging, and the game entered the bottom of the sixth.
The Highlanders closed it out in the bottom of the sixth, as the host team scored three runs to seal the victory. Williams led off with a single through the left side, and moved to second when Godfrey grounded out to first. Shifflett singled on the next play, and a fielding error by Strickland allowed Williams to score. Himan then ended the game by hitting a two-run shot over the left field fence, giving Radford a 10-1 victory and the 2009 Big South tournament title. The championship marks the Highlanders' first-ever Big South Conference crown.
McMillon led the Lady Flames, batting 1-for-3 and driving in Liberty's lone run of the game.
Radford was paced by Shifflett, who batted 4-for-4 with with an RBI and three runs scored, and Himan, who was 1-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored.
Ellis (14-23) took the loss, giving up four runs (two earned) on four hits in 0.1 innings, while Smith scattered nine hits and struck out three batters in five complete innings.
Kelley (24-7), who struggled earlier in the day against the Lady Flames, got the job done in the teams' third meeting of the tournament, giving up five hits and striking out two batters in six innings of work.
The Highlanders improve to 39-13, and with the tournament win, earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The Lady Flames end their 2009 season with a 26-35 overall record, and their second straight runner-up finish in the Big South Championship.
Lady Flames Bennett, McMillon and Strickland were named to the 2009 Big South Championship all-tournament team during the awards presentation after the game.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: KELLEY, Chelsea (24-7)
L: Ellis, Sarah (14-23)
Batting:
2B: Eatmon, Jenna 1
RBI: McMillon, Keely 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Strickland, Kelly 1
Batting:
2B: SHIFFLETT, Kristen 1
HR: SHIFFLETT, Kristen 1 ; HIMAN, Sarah 1 ; BEALL, Michelle 1
RBI: SHIFFLETT, Kristen 1 ; HIMAN, Sarah 3 ; BEALL, Nichole 1 ; BEALL, Michelle 3 ; KEEFE, Shannon 1
SH: HIMAN, Sarah 1 ; BEALL, Nichole 1
Base Running:
RUNS: GODFREY, Leigh 1 ; SHIFFLETT, Kristen 3 ; HIMAN, Sarah 1 ; BEALL, Nichole 2 ; BEALL, Michelle 2 ; WILLIAMS, Lauren 1
SB: KEEFE, Shannon 1 ; EVERHART, Jenn 1
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
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