BOTETOURT CO., Va -- After winning a school record 22 games this season, the Covenant Lady Scots season came to a close Friday afternoon at the hands of Central Baptist College as the Mustangs defeated Covenant 4-0 in a losers' bracket game at the 2011 NCCAA Softball World Series.

Central Baptist, ranked #5 in the most recent NAIA poll and will also compete in the NAIA Softball World Series next week, will advance in the tournament to play a team yet to be determined.

Central Baptist got on the board early as Christen Kirchner's double to deep center field brought home Kiara Bonner in the first inning to put the Mustangs up 1-0.  The game would be broken open in the fourth inning as the Mustangs plated three more runs to make it 4-0.  The biggest hit came off the bat of Kayla Ford as her double with two outs scored two runs.

Covenant had a few opportunities to score, especially in the first three innings.  The Lady Scots put at least one runner on base in the first three frames, but each time runners were stranded.  Covenant's best chance to put a run across was in the sixth inning as the Lady Scots had runners on first and second with one out after Jenni Jobe walked and Courtney Wagoner singled.  But two straight defensive gems from the Mustangs infield prevented the Lady Scots from scoring.  Mustang second baseman Kirchner ended the Covenant scoring threat as she managed to catch a pop-up off the bat of Rebekah Marbury as she was falling to her knees.

Chelsea Krafft pitched 6 solid innings for the Lady Scots in the losing effort.  Krafft, less than 24 hours removed from throwing 8.2 innings, surrendered 3 earned runs on 7 hits while punching out 5 and walking 3.  Krafft's record falls to 18-8 despite throwing her 22nd complete game.  The right-hander also finishes the year with 177 strikeouts in 172.2 innings pitched.

Even with the loss, the 2011 softball season was a major success as head coach Sara Russell and the six seniors on the team took the young program to new heights.  Covenant finished with a record of 22-14, a school record for wins, as well as their highest seed in the NCCAA Softball World Series (5).  With Krafft and several other key contributors returning next year, the Lady Scots look poised for another memorable year.