Campbell Earns Right to Face Hatters in Championship
Courtney Quinn and the Camels seek the program's first A-Sun Championship title since 1995. Image courtesy of ASunPhotos.com
Date Posted: 5/9/2008
DeLAND, Fla. - The best offense in the 2008 Atlantic Sun Softball Championship flexed its muscles as Campbell hit two home runs in a 5-2 victory against ETSU, earning the right to face the host Stetson Hatters on the Championship's final day.
Amanda Littlejohn hit her second home run of the Championship and Shayla Cullum added one of her own as the Camels (40-23) scored five runs in the first three innings. Both long balls where of the two-run variety.
Campbell's Brittany Stanley gave up two runs off six hits in her third complete-game effort of the Championship. The win is Stanley's 24th of the season, which ties the school single-season record.
After falling down five runs early, ETSU (30-32) refused to go away. A solo homer from Jessie Hackworth in the fourth got the Bucs on the board, and a Cheniece Cason RBI double gave them hope with no outs in the top of the seventh. The run ended there, however, as the next three batters went down in order, stranding Cason at second.
Hackworth led ETSU at the plate with a 2-for-3, one-RBI effort. Briana Knight also added a pair of hits and scored a run.
Despite her early struggles, Marissa Hardy went the distance for the Bucs. She settled down after the third inning, allowing only one more hit the rest of the way. She took the loss on the mound, giving up nine hits and all five runs.
Campbell won 40 games for the first time since 1995, which is the last time it won the A-Sun Championship. The Camels could become the first No. 5 seed to win the A-Sun Softball Championship under the current six-team, double elimination format which began in 1996.
The Camels face the Hatters in the Championship on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. ET. The Hatters need to defeat the Camels twice in order to claim a second straight title. If Stetson defeats Campbell in the first game, a second game will be played to decide the Championship winner.
