April 23, 2011

Complete Results

ETTRICK, VA - Her team still down by two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, Winston-Salem State head coach LaTanya Hilliard-Gray pulled her team over and had one simple point to make. "This is what we do," she said. And with that, in the midst what looked like an improbable comeback, the Rams made that improbable a reality, scoring five runs in their last at-bat to stun Chowan 7-6 and win the 2011 CIAA Softball Championship on Saturday.

"All we had to do was believe the way I believe in them," said Hilliard-Gray.

In a fitting manner, it was a Lady Ram senior who came up big for the team to score the big win. With three runs in and the bases still loaded with two outs, WSSU senior outfielder Candace Spinks hit a rocket toward Chowan shortstop Fahren Munro. The sharp grounder got by Munro for an error and bounded into left-center field, allowing two runs to score, including the game-winner. "My seniors have been here for the last three years and have not been able to compete for a championship and this is our going away gift to them," Hilliard-Gray added.

The championship was a huge accomplishment for the Winston-Salem State Lady Rams as the 2011 season was the first time that the team was eligible to compete for a conference championship. "It means everything. Before [WSSU sophomore infielder Britney] Cato scored [the game-winning] run, I was out there on the field crying," WSSU senior catcher Kayla Woodbury said. "It's a really big deal and I'm just happy that I had a chance to be a part of it and set the tone for years to come."

Only moments earlier, Chowan outfielder Alex Allen appeared to have come up with her second eighth inning, game-winning hit of the day. She had slapped a single to right field to score the go-ahead run, sparking a four-run rally as Chowan (34-19) took what seemed like an insurmountable 6-2 lead to the bottom half of the inning after using six hits and two Winston-Salem State errors to take control.

But the Lady Rams (29-11) quickly put runners on first and second with one out against Chowan's third pitcher of the game, Lacey Wilderboer. And Winston-Salem State senior catcher Kayla Woodbury made things interesting with a two-run double to left-center field to make it 6-4.

After giving up a single to sophomore infielder Nikki Lynch, Chowan made another pitching change, bringing in Amber Matthews, who, with runners on second and third, loaded the bases after a walk to WSSU sophomore infielder Britney Cato on four pitches. The Rams kept the pressure on, and WSSU sophomore Shantel Haskins' ground ball to second base was mishandled, allowing another run to score to trim the deficit to just one, 6-5. Matthews retired Hope Billings with a strikeout for the second out, but Spinks delivered the game-winning run.

Winston-Salem State moved through the tournament bracket unbeaten, including a 5-3 come-from-behind victory over Chowan on Friday. But it appeared as though the championship round was headed to a second game until the Rams' fireworks in the eighth.

Chowan led three times in the game, getting an RBI single in the second inning on Wildeboer's double. Winston-Salem State tied the game in the top of the third on Haskins''s infield single, but Chowan responded with another run driven in by Wildeboer in the top of the sixth to take a 2-1 lead.

Again, though, the Rams came back, tying the game on WSSU freshman outfielder Tanaya Pettus' bases-loaded single in the bottom half of the inning.

But that was all the Rams could get, despite having the bases full with no outs. Chowan came up with a dazzling shortstop-to-home-to third double play, then-relief pitcher Allie Kolezynski ended the threat by retiring Woodbury.

Still, Winston-Salem State found a way.

The 2011 CIAA Softball Championship Tournament MVP Brittany Lane earned her fourth win of the tournament weekend, allowing six runs - four earned - on 15 hits. Matthews was hung with the loss; the lone run charged to her was unearned. Haskins and Lynch each had three hits while Pettus and Woodbury had two apiece for Winston-Salem State, which banged out 15 hits.

Chowan senior infielder Tricia Gorman, the nation's top run-producer, had three hits and two RBI while Wildeboer did the same. Megan Wade, Liz Hipple and Liz Sill each had a pair of hits for Chowan.

"We practice to win," said Hilliard-Gray. That's why we're used to winning."

The CIAA All-Tournament team consists of: Emily Montgomery (Shaw), Samantha Smith (Johnson C. Smith), Ayssa Winston (Virginia State), Sharon Lipford (Virginia State) Mariela Hernandez (Bowie State), Haley Snyder (Bowie State) Olivia Peavey (Fayetteville State), Tricia Gorman (Chowan), Farhen Munro (Chowan), Shantel Haskins (Winston-Salem State), Nikki Lynch (Winston-Salem State) and MVP Brittany Lane (Winston-Salem State).

With the win, the Lady Rams win their first CIAA championship since 2000 and the fifth in school history. For more information on Lady Rams softball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to www.WSSURams.com.