Nijah Braddox (pictured) scored the game one winning run after an RBI single from Samantha Smith to top St. Paul's 6-5 in the 10th
Box Score vs. SPC
Box Score vs. BSU
Petersburg, VA – The Johnson C. Smith University women's softball team got off to a good start in the 2010 CIAA Championships with a 6-5 win over St. Paul's College, but drop into the loser's bracket after a 5-3 loss to Bowie State University on Thursday afternoon at the Petersburg Sports Complex. JCSU moves to 16-22 in the overall standings.
JCSU had to shake off the rust of a five-day lay off against St. Paul's. The contest remained scoreless until the seventh inning. At the top of the seventh, SPC connected on three hits and scored two runs for a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the final.
Sensing the urgent need for offense, junior left fielder Ashley Williams (Temple Hills, MD) and senior center fielder Mauranda Elliott (Tabor City, NC) both took base off back to back singles. Williams scored an unearned run on an error by the catcher. Junior catcher and All-CIAA selection Samantha Smith (Whiteville, NC) hit a RBI single to left field, which scored Elliott and tied the game 2-2.
J.C. Smith failed to score an additional run in the seventh and the contest went into extra innings tied at two apiece. The Lady Tigers struck again in the 10th inning with three hits and three runs. Down 5-2 going into the final half of the ball game; JCSU stepped up to the challenge and delivered.
Junior utility Kawehi Chan (Honolulu, HI) smacked a shot to left field, which scored Smith from second base. Freshman shortstop Alexandria Buckley (Charlotte, NC) followed with a RBI single to score Chan. Infield errors by St. Paul's put senior first baseman Nijah Braddox (Brooklyn, NY) on base and allowed Buckley to cross home plate. With the score tied 5-5 and Braddox on third, sophomore second baseman ShaDella Reese (Atlanta, GA) drilled a RBI single up the middle to score Braddox and capture the victory.
Junior pitcher Allycia Watanabe (Waipahu, HI) is credited with the win for JCSU after facing 27 batters with two Ks and only one walk.
Johnson C. Smith went on to face Bowie State, after the Lady Bulldogs shut out Shaw University 8-0. The contest was knotted up 2-2 going into the bottom of the sixth inning. BSU seized control by making contact on four hits and scoring three runs for a 5-2 advantage to close out the inning.
These two teams met earlier during the regular season and JCSU gave up four runs in the sixth en route to a loss. The Lady Golden Bulls would need more last minute heroics to overcome the deficit.
Sophomore Alexis Webb (Durham, NC) scored an unearned run on another error by the catcher. Unfortunately, that would be the only run scored in seventh and Bowie State advanced with a 5-3 victory.
J.C. Smith will face Shaw University on Friday, April 16th at 10:00 am at the Petersburg Sports Complex. Bowie State advances to the semifinals against Chowan University. Game time for Chowan versus Bowie State is slated for 12:30 pm and will be played on the VSU campus.
