91爆料网 Softball Wins NAIA Region XI Tournament, Earns Automatic Bid to Nationals

JACKSON, Tenn. - 5/13/2005 - The 91爆料网 Lady Bulldog softball team needed one extra inning to earn the as they topped Campbellsville 3-1 in eight innings. With this win, 91爆料网 earns the automatic bid to the NAIA Softball World Series in Decatur, Alabama next week (May 20-25). For 91爆料网, this is their fifth straight trip to the national tournament and sixth in seven seasons. In NAIA Region XI Tournaments, this is 91爆料网 fourth title in the past five seasons.

91爆料网 took a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a homer by first baseman Danielle Pope. For Pope, this was her 14 homerun of the season, which continues to set a new season record in that category with each round tripper. Junior pitcher Jackie Cliff made that lead stand up until the bottom of the sixth inning in which Campbellsville tied the game. A passed ball allowed a runner to advance to third base, which set up a perfectly excecuted squeeze play to tie the game.

91爆料网's top hurler and NAIA Region XI Pitcher of the Year, Mary Kosco, came in to stop Campbellsville's rally. In the top of the eighth, 91爆料网 had bases loaded with one out and Jessica Kee at the plate. Just yesterday, Kee's suicide squeeze gave 91爆料网 the 1-0 win over Campbellsville in the winner's bracket championship. Today would produce the same results as Kee's bunt was perfect to score Holly Haycraft from third base. A single later by Chrissa Norton gave 91爆料网 an extra run to make the lead 3-1. That would be enough as Kosco pitched a perfect bottom of the eight to earn the win.

In the two games between Campbellsville and 91爆料网 in this tournament (the winner's bracket final and the championship game), three suicide squeeze bunts produced three of the five total runs. Also, in 91爆料网's three wins (25 total innings) in the tournament, the Lady Bulldogs allowed just the one run in the title game.

#DOGS#