Friday, May 13, 2011

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Lipscomb jumped out to a 5-0 lead after four innings and held on for a 7-2 victory over Campbell on Friday evening at Cyrill Stadium in the 2011 Atlantic Sun Softball Championship to advance to their second-straight title game appearance.

Lipscomb (30-19) struck first with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. With two outs, Kristen Sturdivant singled to the gap in left allowing Breanna Thurman and Mackenzie Tucker to cross home plate.

The Lady Bisons increased their lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning. Bridgette Begle’s two-RBI double down the left field line capped the inning for the No. 2 seed.

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Campbell (32-28) cut into the Lipscomb lead in the top of the fifth inning. Sarah Ling scored the first run of the contest for the Camels on a double steal. Campbell was able to cut the deficit to three at 5-2 when Sarah Forgacs scored on Keeli Michael’s RBI ground out.

Lipscomb tacked on two more runs in the home half of the fifth en route to securing their third straight season of at least 30 wins. Mollie Mitchell scored on Courtney Billington’s double to the left center field gap and Billington later scored to set the final tally at 7-2.

Lipscomb starter Ali Watson (8-4) went the distance and allowed just two runs (one earned) on seven hits with one strike out. Campbell starter Olivia Scarborough took the loss after allowing four runs on four hits with three walks in 3.1 innings in the circle.

With the win Lipscomb advances to tomorrow’s title game against Jacksonville at 12 p.m. If the Lady Bisons claim victory at noon, they will play again at 2:30 p.m. as they look for their second straight A-Sun title.

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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.