|
April 24, 2009
 HICKORY, N.C. --- The top-seeded Wingate softball team avenged a regular season sweep by the Lions and defeated third-seed Mars Hill, 4-2, in the 2009 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament. The Bulldogs improve to 30-12-1. Mars Hill ends its season at 26-19.
Wingate struck first in the second inning. Jamie Millen (Monroe, N.C.) scored off a RBI single up the middle by Julie Broyer (Hollister, Calif.) to give Wingate a 1-0 lead.
The Bulldogs increased their lead in the third inning. Leyila Myers (Marietta, Ga.) singled to center field, plating Emily Chavis (Berkeley Lake, Ga.) to increase the margin to 2-0.
Wingate doubled its lead in the fourth inning. Broyer scored off a RBI single by Debra Grijalva (San Jose, Calif.). Later in the inning, Hallie Pettigrew (Uniontown, Ohio) scored on a wild pitch by Tara West (Urbana, Ohio).
 Mars Hill tried to rally in the fifth inning. A Rebekah Huff (Mars Hill, N.C.) single to right center followed a Lindsey Barrier (Salisbury, N.C.) walk to give the Lions runners on first and second with two outs. In the next at-bat, Ashley Angell (Winston-Salem, N.C.) hit a weak ball straight to Brittany Blankenship (Midlothian, Va.), but a wild throw to first base allowed Barrier and Huff to score on the play. However, Mars Hill would get no closer as Ashley Seawell (Asheboro, N.C.) grounded out to end the threat.
Blankenship, now 17-7, earned the win for the Bulldogs. She threw five innings and allowed two unearned runs on three hits.
Allison Smith (Daleville, Va.) picked up her first save of the season. She gave up no runs on one hit in two innings.
West, now 9-10, suffered the loss for the Lions. She allowed four runs, three earned, on eight hits in three and one-third innings.
Wingate will next play Saturday against the winner of tonight's Lenoir-Rhyne/Newberry winner. First pitch is set for Noon.
Boxscore...
#####
|
