ORMOND
BEACH, Fla. - It took two days and extra innings, but the
Delaware State University softball team was unable to overcome Mid-Eastern
Athletic Conference defending champion Bethune-Cookman this weekend as they
fell in the MEAC Championship at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex.
The Wildcats forced a game two in the
double-elimination tournament as they handed the Hornets their first loss of
the week with a 7-1 victory on Saturday afternoon. The second game began on Saturday afternoon but was
postponed until Sunday due to severe thunderstorms in the Daytona Beach area. The two teams were tied at 2-2 before
B-CU claimed the title with a 5-4 win in eight innings.
As the two teams resumed play on Sunday, DSU scored
first in the top of the third with an RBI single from senior Janelle Lukens (Williamsport, Pa.).
The Wildcats responded with three hits and two runs
in the bottom of the frame to go up, 4-3.
The Hornets countered with another run of their own
in the top of the fourth to tie things at 4-4 as freshman Ashley Davis (Seattle, Wash.) scored on an error from shortstop
Aurelia Gamch.
The two teams stayed relatively quiet until B-CU
struck in the bottom of the eighth.
With the bases loaded and no outs, Michelle Banuelos-Smith recorded an
RBI single to give the Wildcats the 5-4 victory.
Three DSU players recorded multi-hit games in
Lukens and juniors Jordan Reid
(Accokeek, Md.), and Casey Beighley
(Los Angeles, Calif.).
Lukens also tallied three RBI in the contest.
Allison Garcia notched her 26th win of
the season for B-CU while Hornet freshman Ashlyn
Campbell (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.) fell to 10-6 on the year with the loss. Garcia went 8.0 innings giving up nine
hits, four runs (three earned) and two strikeouts while Campbell struck out
four and gave up eight hits, three runs (all earned) and two walks in 6.0
innings pitched.
The softball title was the second straight for the
Wildcats and sixth overall. They
receive the conference's automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Division I Softball
Championship tournament.
Garcia, the 2011 MEAC Pitcher of the Year, earned
Outstanding Performer honors for the week. Lukens and Campbell were named to the 2011 MEAC Softball
All-Tournament Team for the Hornets.
In Saturday's first matchup, senior Andrea Waters (Anchorage, Alaska) went
a perfect 3-for-3 with one run scored.
The Hornets scored first on the afternoon as Waters
singled to center field and then scored on an RBI single to left field from
Lukens.
The DSU bats were quiet for the rest of the game as
B-CU scored seven unanswered runs to take the 7-1 victory and force game two.
