BOTETOURT CO., Va. -- After a 1 hour and 15 minute rain delay, the Covenant Lady Scots and the North Greenville Lady Crusaders decided they wanted to spend even more time at the ballpark at the 2011 NCCAA Softball World Series. After 9 innings of play, North Greenville finally came out on top as Kansas Wofford's RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning produced the game-winning run for the Lady Crusaders as they won 2-1 on Thursday afternoon.
Covenant will now play top-seeded Central Baptist College, who was upset by eighth-seeded Geneva College, in a losers' bracket elimination game on Friday at 12:00 p.m. North Greenville advances to play Geneva in the winners' bracket.
The bottom of the ninth inning for the Lady Crusaders began with two straight hits from Emily Campbell and Liz Pitts to put runners on first and second. After one out was recorded that advanced both runners, Covenant shortstop Sonja Townsend fielded a Kimberly Robertson ground ball and threw home to get Campbell for the second out of the inning and keep the game tied at 1-1. But Wofford followed that with her second run-scoring single of the day to give the Lady Crusaders the win.
Covenant starter Chelsea Krafft pitched a complete game to keep the Lady Scots within striking distance. Krafft gave up 11 hits but only 2 runs while striking out 6 and walking 2.
Krafft had to work through trouble in several innings, especially the first. In that inning, North Greenville got its first two batters on with a walk followed by a single. After a Krafft wild pitch allowed both runners to advance one base, Wofford singled to center field that brought home Marielena Santos with Robertson close behind. But a strong throw from Christine Core in center field nabbed Robertson at the plate to keep it a 1-0 game.
North Greenville starter Taylor Roof gave Covenant all kinds of problems as Core got Covenant's first and only hit of the game, a single to left field, to lead off the top of the first inning. Roof pitched all 9 innings while allowing just the one hit, striking out 7, and walking 5.
In the fifth inning, the Lady Scots finally got on the board. Covenant capitalized on two walks and a hit-by-pitch to scrape across one run to tie the game at 1-1. With one out, Townsend walked and Core reached on a fielder's choice. After Kim Cuticchia walked to load the bases, Beth Harris grounded to third baseman Karli Taylor who proceeded to throw home to force out Townsend and keep Covenant off the board. Jenni Jobe then took one for the team as she was hit with a Roof pitch that allowed Core to score and tie the game. The Lady Scots, however, could not manage anything more in that inning as Courtney Wagoner grounded out to end the frame.
Covenant's only threat to score after the fifth came in the seventh inning. There, Core walked with one out, then was forced out at second base on a ground ball off the bat of Cuticchia. Cuticchia was able to get into scoring position with a stolen base second base was where she went stranded.
