DeLand,
Fla. - No. 2 seed Gardner-Webb advanced to the championship
round of the 2007 Atlantic Sun Softball Championship presented by Coca-Cola unblemished
beating the No. 1 seed Stetson Hatters by a score of 3-2 in eleven innings.
Gardner-Webb
scored in the eleventh inning on a throwing error by Heather Colding. The Bulldogs'
Joanna Ward beat the ensuing throw home to score the eventual game-winning run.
GWU's
Haley Scism hit her first home run of the season to give the Bulldogs a third
inning 1-0 lead. The Hatters countered in the bottom of the fourth when Lindsay
Wightman drove in Nicole Forbes to tie the game. Erica Demers pitched the first
3.1 innings for Stetson allowing one run, before giving way to Heather Colding
who went the final 7.2 innings in the losing effort. Taryn Beck pitched eight
innings for GWU, allowing two runs and striking out eight. The Hatters and Bulldogs
traded runs in the eighth inning, with both teams scoring on sacrifice flies.
Alison Coffey relieved Beck in the ninth inning and finished out the game for
the win.
Gardner-Webb will play the winner of Stetson and ETSU/Campbell
at noon on Saturday for the A-Sun championship. Gardner-Webb will have to lose
twice to it's opponent since the Bulldogs are headed into the championship round
undefeated. Stetson will play the winner of No. 3 ETSU and No. 5 Campbell at 6:00
p.m. today for the right to play Gardner-Webb in the championship.