Posted: Apr 21, 2012
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Anderson University advanced to the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Championship game with a 2-0 victory over Carson-Newman College Saturday afternoon at Red Edmonds Field.
The third-seeded Trojans (38-12) will play top-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne University (45-11) Sunday at 1:00 p.m. for the conference title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Amber Duncan threw a three-hitter to improve to 23-9 this season, and Rebecca Martin and Abby Child had RBI singles in the third inning to lift the Trojans past the fourth-seeded Eagles (34-22).
Duncan scattered three singles and walked a pair, but needed just 81 pitches to finish off the shutout. She faced her toughest test in the first inning, when Carson-Newman loaded the bases with one out. However, a popup and a line drive to right retired the side and kept the game scoreless.
Eagle starter Mary Shealy retired the first seven batters she faced before yielding a single to Bri Cason with one out in the top of the third. After a sacrifice bunt by Charlotte Sieber moved Cason to second, Jessica Neidigh walked on four pitches to put runners at first and second.
Martin then grounded a single up the middle to knock home Cason and give the Trojans a 1-0 lead. Child then followed with a hard grounder up the middle that caromed into center field for a hit, allowing Neidigh to come around and score and extend the Anderson lead to 2-0.
Duncan received help from her defense in the fourth, as Neidigh snared a liner at second and threw to Child covering short to double off a Carson-Newman runner to end the inning. The Eagles would not advance a runner past first base beyond that point, with Duncan closing out the game by retiring the side in order in the ninth on two fly balls and a grounder.
Shealy (34-22) allowed five hits and walked two and threw just 76 pitches in the game. At the plate, she singled and walked twice in three trips, with the other Eagle hits coming off the bats of Cassidy Skeen in the first and Bethany Davis in the fifth.
Anderson will be seeking its first-ever Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Championship, while Lenoir-Rhyne is looking for its third straight title and sixth overall.
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