Thursday, May 12, 2011

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – In the first elimination game of the 2011 Atlantic Sun Conference Softball Championship, Campbell downed Kennesaw State, 7-1, on Thursday morning at Cyrill Stadium.

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, Campbell (31-27) pushed in front on Raven Lee’s three-run homer over the wall in right center. Taylor McGee and Katie Hinton scored on Lee’s seventh home run of the season.

The Camels struck again in the bottom of the fifth with another three-run homer to extend the lead to five at 6-1. After Amanda Miller led off the inning with a single and Keeli Michael walked, Lauren Stephan connected on her team-leading 13th home run. Campbell added a final run in the bottom of the sixth when Sarah Ling scored on Miller’s sacrifice fly.

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Read the Atlantic Sun Insider Column: Camels Digs the Long Ball

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Kennesaw State’s (28-27) lone run of the contest came in the bottom of the third when Ashlee Burkett scored on a throwing error by Campbell third baseman Keeli Michael.

Camel starter Brittany Arnn went the distance allowing one unearned run on five hits for her first career shutout. Arnn, who struck out four and walked one, improved to 6-8. Kennesaw State starter Jessica Cross (13-9) took the loss after surrendering two runs on four hits with three strikeouts and two walks.

Hinton and Miller each tallied two hits for Campbell while Bianca Durant led the Owls with a 2-for-3 effort at the plate.

With the win, Campbell keeps alive its hopes of a third conference crown in four seasons and will return to action tomorrow at 3 p.m. in its second elimination game of the 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.