Hawks & Broncos Advance to 2018 CIAA Softball Championship Game
Salem, VA (May 1, 2018) – Day 2 of the 2018 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Softball Championship featured five contests as the two final teams were determined for tomorrow's Championship Game.
The day kicked off in the consolation bracket at 12:00 noon with Fayetteville State University versus Saint Augustine's University and Shaw University versus Bowie State University. The Broncos started out hot with 4 runs in the first inning and never backed down. FSU had extended their lead 10-1 before the fifth inning, when the Falcons marked four. The Broncos answered with 2 more in the 6th inning before SAU's Marley Parker rounded out the game with a single home run. The Broncos prevailed 12-6 while the Falcons were eliminated from tournament play.
The Lady Bears of Shaw University came out with vengeance early on Tuesday afternoon. In the first inning, Shaw tallied five runs on three hits including a double from Sheniqua Fahie and a single from both Kiana Rogers and Tori Hale. On bases loaded, Bowie State's Morgan Powell walked, sending the team's first runner home of the game. The 2nd and 3rd innings brought a consistent 3 more runs for the Bears before a huge 4th inning. Rogers hit a homer followed by scoring singles hit by Hale, Fahie, and Zahrea Lewis. The Bulldogs attempted a rally, including a home run by Nicoleen Ochoa, but it was not enough to continue the contest. The game ended in 5 innings, 14-4 Shaw.
Competition continued with two contests at 2:30 p.m.: Fayetteville State versus Shaw in the consolation bracket and Winston-Salem State University versus Chowan University in the main bracket. The Lady Bears' tournament tenure ended with a 16-3 decider against the Broncos. In the second inning, the Broncos capitalized, starting off by taking two walks to first base from Shaw. The Broncos scored a total of 6 runs followed by 8 runs in the 3rd inning to lead 15-3. The contest ended early as FSU tacked on one more in the 4th for the 16-3 victory.
The Winston-Salem State Rams met the Hawks of Chowan to battle for a spot in Wednesdays Championship game. Both teams played outstanding defensively, with the Rams striking out 3 to limit the Hawks to 1 run in the bottom of the 1st inning. The Hawks chipped away at the scoreboard with one run in the 2nd and 3rd, each. The Rams suffered their share of strikeouts and struggled to get runners in scoring position. In the 6th inning, the Hawks extended their lead scoring on a single by Brittany Parson to send Haley Cooper home and a home run by EmaRae Flores. The Rams answered with one lone score, but couldn't come back from the deficit. The Hawks advance to the Championship game with the 7-1 victory while the Rams would be given one more shot.
Playing their third straight game of the day, the Broncos met with the Rams to determine Chowan's opponent for the Championship game. While the Broncos' enthusiasm was apparent, the Rams focused their efforts on the bats and scored 5 runs in the opening inning. By the bottom of the 4th, the Rams had swelled their lead to a comfortable 7-3 margin. However, FSU began chipping away by utilizing a walk, hit by pitch, wild pitches, and Rams' errors. A double by Madison Mendoza led Shi-Cara Goins home and advanced HaLee Knowles to third base. The Rams attempted to eliminate the Broncos' options, tagging Knowles out at home. Singles by Courtney Pierre and Nikki Brown finished out the inning and soon enough the Broncos took the lead, 8-7.
After the Rams tied up the scoreboard in the 7th, the game entered an additional inning with the International Tiebreaker Rule in affect. The Rams placed Nyla Howard on base, who soon touched home thanks to an overthrow to the 3rd baseman. The Broncos retaliated with Knowles starting out on second and making her way around the bases due to a sacrifice bunt and a single line drive. At the end of the 8th, the score remained tied at 9-9. A similar situation in the 9th inning, Rams' Erica Davis advanced to third on a sacrifice fly ball and then home with a hard left-side single hit by Tia Robinson. WSSU's only score in the 9th would call for tough defense with FSU behind the plate. Rachel Rodriguez took 2nd base and, as teammate Brittany Lee laid down a beautiful bunt bypassing the pitcher and second baseman, advanced to third. With two on base, catcher Goins stepped up to the plate and ripped the ball deep in between left and center field. The force was enough to bring home both Rodriguez and Lee to seal Fayetteville State's fate in to the Championship game. Final score, 11-10 Broncos.
The Chowan Hawks will face the Fayetteville State Broncos on Wednesday, April 2nd at 1:00 PM ET in Moyer Park for the conference championship title. The event will be free and open to the public with live statistics available at www.theciaa.com. For more behind-the-scenes coverage, follow the CIAA on Facebook (The CIAA), Twitter (@CIAAForLife), and Instagram (@CIAASports).