Friday, May 14, 2010

DeLAND, Fla. – No. 4 USC Upstate advanced to the final day of the Atlantic Sun Softball Championships with a 7-4 win against No. 5 Jacksonville, Friday afternoon at Patricia Wilson Field.

USC Upstate's Cheyanna Ohlrich put runs on the board first for the Spartans in the top of the second inning as the junior from North Bend, Ore. homered to left field and drove in junior Lauren Quevedo. Senior captain Crislyn Chewning then recorded a two RBI single to left field and Haley Sheehan followed Kim Brasil to home .

The Spartans continued their scoring opportunites in the fifth frame when Quevedo, a junior from Wellington, Fla., blasted a two-run long ball into center field and brought in junior Katie Zauner. Then in the sixth inning, Jacksonville returned the favor, scoring four runs on a Sarah Simon grand slam.

Simon led the Dolphins at the plate, collecting two hits in three at bats and scoring a run. Senior hurler Ashley Iveson (16-10) took the loss for Jacksonville, after allowing three runs (two unearned) and one walk in 1.2 innings.

With 425 strikeouts collected this season, including eight amassed against the Dolphins, USC Upstate's Morgan Childers (33-7) sits 13 K's shy of the A-Sun single-season strikeout record (437 - FAU's Nicole Myers). The Kings Mountain, N.C. native also allowed four runs (three earned) and six hits in six innings.

USC Upstate will play the winner of No. 1 Lipscomb/No. 2 Stetson on Saturday at 1 p.m. for a chance at the A-Sun Tournament title and an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.