No. 2 North Bluefield State 14, No. 3 South Shaw 5
Orangeburg Recreational Park | Orangeburg, S.C.

Second-seeded North Division champion Bluefield State delivered an emphatic opening-round performance at the CIAA Softball Championship Tournament, pulling away early and often for a 14–5 victory over No. 3 South Shaw on Wednesday evening in Orangeburg.

The Big Blue wasted no time, erupting for four runs in the bottom of the first inning. After Paige Whittington reached base and later scored, Hailey Trujillo broke the game open with a bases-clearing double to left center, giving Bluefield State an early 4–0 advantage.

Shaw settled in briefly but Bluefield State continued to apply pressure, adding single runs in the second and two more in the third to build a 7–0 lead. Shaw finally responded in the top of the third, capitalizing on a pair of defensive miscues before Imari Jordan drove in two runs with a single to cut the deficit to 7–2.

Any momentum was short-lived. Bluefield State answered immediately with two runs in the bottom of the third, highlighted by a two-run home run from Alexis Coles, restoring a comfortable cushion at 9–2.

Shaw continued to battle, stringing together runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Cyndia Dobbins provided the highlight for the Bears, launching a two-run homer to center field in the fifth as Shaw trimmed the margin to 11–4. However, Bluefield State responded yet again, plating two runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth to put the game out of reach.

Bluefield State finished with 13 hits and drew six walks, taking advantage of Shaw’s nine errors across the contest. Paige Whittington, Julianna Costanzo, Hailey Trujillo, and Amaya Corona all posted multi-hit performances, while Trujillo and Coles combined for five RBI.

In the circle, Yonah Rogers went the distance to earn the complete-game win, allowing eight hits and five runs (one earned) while striking out three across six innings.

With the victory, Bluefield State advanced in the winners bracket and will face top-seeded South Division champion Claflin in the next round. Shaw dropped to the elimination bracket, where it will look to keep its tournament run alive against North Division opponent Lincoln (Pa.).