Lady Eagles Win Three Advance In Big South Championships

   ROCK HILL, SC-The Lady Eagles picked up three wins today to hold off elimination in the 2002 McAlister's Deli Big South Conference Softball Championships.  Winthrop defeated Elon, Coastal Carolina and Radford to advance to face Liberty tomorrow at 1 p.m.

   In the first game the fourth-seeded Winthrop (23-25) knocked off second-seeded Elon 5-2.

   Kelli Johnson tossed a complete game allowing two runs on nine hits with two walks and eight strikeouts to improve to 19-13.

   Winthrop jumped out to an early 3-0 lead thanks to an RBI double by Shannon Vincent and a two-run homerun by Katy Agee.

   Elon (16-39) fought back to make it a 3-2 in the fourth inning as Erin Bock delivered an RBI single and Megan Borgaard scored on a sacrifice fly by Danielle Concepcion.

   The Eagles added insurance runs in the sixth and seventh to ensure the victory. Sharada Pitts scored on an error in the sixth and Janiva Willis had an RBI double in the seventh.

   Amanda Zenter tossed six and two-thirds allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits with five walks and three strikeouts. Pam Brock finished with two hits as did Lori Notaro.

   Agee finished 1-for-1 with two RBIs and Vincent finished with two hits.

   In game two of the day Winthrop eliminated top-seeded Coastal Carolina 2-0.

    The Eagles scored off an error by shortstop Kelli Julg in the fourth inning for the 1-0 lead. The insurance run came in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Caryn Little, scoring Carol Douglas. Both runs were unearned.

    Johnson tossed her eighth shutout of the season and allowed only four hits, one walk and had two strikeouts to improve to 20-13.

   Lauren Yates also tossed a complete game allowing two runs (both unearned) on three hits, two walks and one strikeout and fell to 9-5.

    Coastal Carolina (28-18), the defending tournament champion, threatened in the first inning with runners at the corners and one out, but Johnson got Jennifer Schmidt to strike out and then Karlye Fortune to pop out to end the threat.

    With Coastal Carolina, it will be the first time the Chanticleers will not be part of the tournament championship game since 1997.

   And in the final game of the day and for the second straight year Winthrop won its third game on the day to advance to the finals by defeating third-seeded Radford 4-2.

    Radford (18-41) took the early lead in the first on an RBI single down the line by Payton Nash, scoring Ashley Smith. 

    Winthrop would come back to tie the game up in the third.  Douglas led off the inning with a double off the left field fence.  Douglas would score one out later when Johnson helped her cause with an RBI single.

   Winthrop would take a 3-1 lead two innings later on an RBI single by  Agee, which scored Katie Kipisz and Willis.  Willis raced to the plate from third when the throw from center got away from Radford catcher Stephanie Adams.

   Radford cut the lead to one in the bottom half of the fifth on Nash’s sacrifice fly to right field.  But Winthrop would close the books on Radford by adding an insurance run in the seventh.

    Johnson (21-13) picked up her third win on the day going the distance allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits.  Deana Benner (10-13) takes the loss giving up three runs (two earned) on seven hits.