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Box Score 3 RALEIGH, NC – The Chowan University softball team clawed their way through the losers' bracket on Saturday afternoon to secure a spot in Saturday's CIAA Softball Championship game. The Hawks defeated Virginia Union University, Virginia State University and Bowie State University over the course of the day to remain alive in tournament play.
In game one, Chowan took down Virginia Union 4-0 to stay alive in the losers' bracket. The Hawks took advantage of an RBI single by
Katrina Simmons to take an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third. Chowan's bats came alive in the sixth.
Kris Neal laced a two-run double to push the Hawks ahead 3-0. Neal later scored on a wild pitch to give Chowan a 4-0 lead.
Kayla Robins and the Hawks' defense kept the Lady Panthers off the score board to secure the win.
Chowan recorded nine hits in the victory led by
Haley Cooper and Simmons with two hits apiece. Neal accounted for two RBI in the win. Robins held the Lady Panthers to two hits over the course of the afternoon while recording six strikeouts.
In game two, the Hawks quickly grabbed the momentum. In their first at-bat,
Haley Cooper's two-run double followed by Neal's two-run homerun gave Chowan an early 4-0 advantage. A Chowan error and RBI double by Cameryn Smith cut the Trojan deficit in half but the Hawks promptly answered back with an RBI single by
Danielle Baccus and sacrifice fly by
Kennsey Epley to pull away 6-2. Verlisha Brandon's RBI double gave Virginia State an additional run, but Baccus' sacrifice fly gave the Hawks all they would need to claim the 7-3 victory.
Cooper tallied two hits win the win along with two RBI. Baccus and Neal each recorded two RBI in the win. Robins surrendered nine hits in seven innings of work and allowed three runs (one earned) while tallying 14 strikeouts.
Brandon paced the Trojans with three hits while Marissa Hughes and Dominique Mulero added two hits in the setback.
In the final game of the day, after three scoreless innings of play, the Hawks plated two runs using sacrifice flies by Neal and Epley. Chowan tacked on two runs in the fifth using Simmons' RBI triple and Cragan's base hit up the middle. Bowie State plated one in the seventh using Danielle Watt's infield single, but the Hawks secured the 4-1 the win and a spot in Saturday's CIAA Championship game.
Tina White tallied three hits in the victory for the Hawks with four Chowan players notching base hits in the win. Bowie State recorded five hits in the loss led by Nicoleen Ochoa with two hits. Robins earned the win on the mound and tallied 10 strikeouts in the win. Stefanie Ray was credited with the loss on the mound after surrendering six hits and four runs (two earned) in 4.1 innings of work.
The Hawks will take on Winston-Salem State University in the CIAA Championship on Saturday at 12pm. Chowan, advancing to the title game out of the losers' bracket, will need to beat the Rams twice to secure the CIAA Championship crown.
