May 22, 2010

DECATUR, Ala. - Belhaven (Miss.) and Dickinson State (N.D.) earned wins in Pool F action on the second day of the 2010 NAIA Softball National Championship at Wilson Morgan Softball Complex Saturday.

Belhaven (52-8) defeated Columbia (Mo.) 2-1 to improve to 2-0 in pool play. Columbia dropped to 1-1 in event action and 37-18 overall with the loss. Sarah Burns threw a complete game, allowing just one run on five hits with no walks and seven strikeouts to take the win for the Blazers. Valerie Teter suffered the loss for the Cougars, going 6 1/3 from the circle and allowed two earned runs on three hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.

Columbia struck first in the opening inning. Samantha Stringer reached on a fielder's choice, moved to second on a Teter single and took third on another fielder's choice. She came in to score on a wild pitch by Burns for the early 1-0 Cougar advantage.

Belhaven answered in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game at 1-1. Britney Webb earned a walk and moved up to second on a wild pitch. With one out, Webb stole third and eventually came home on a two-out wild pitch to tie the game.

The game remained deadlocked through the top of the seventh frame. Jessica Eggold led off in the bottom of the inning for the Blazers and was hit by a Teter pitch to take first. Eggold stole second and then advanced to third on a one-out single by Tiffany Ansley. Heather Pace sent a shot down the left-field line to send Eggold home for the 2-1 walk-off win.

Dickinson State (34-12) captured its first pool play win with a 7-1 victory over Northwood (Texas). The Blue Hawks improved to 1-1 in event action, while the Knights fell to 0-2 and 33-23 overall. Sara Jane Webster tossed the win for Dickinson State, throwing a full seven innings and allowed only one earned run on two hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Larissa Garcia suffered the loss for Northwood, going two innings on the mound and allowing six runs, three of them earned, on four hits with two walks. Taylor Jones relieved Garcia in the third and went five innings, allowing one earned run on six hits.

Vanessa Adame reached on a walk as the game's first batter and advanced to second on a sac bunt by Webster. Two batters later, Jody Lantz hit a two-run bomb to right-center to put the Blue Hawks up 2-0.

With four hits in the top of the third from Lantz, Danielle Crawford, Jessica Huseby and Carly Patterson, Dickinson State led 6-0.

Northwood took one back in the bottom half of the third inning when Leigh Anne Rainey singled to score Brittany Luna, who reached on a walk.

In the top of the fifth, the Blue Hawks once again increased their lead to six, beginning with a single from Kelly Jahn. Dani Benito entered to pinch run for Jahn and advanced to second on a sac bunt by Erika Arvizo. Huseby singled and sent Benito to third, followed by a one-out grounder from Patterson that sent Benito home. Dickinson State went up 7-1 and Webster didn't allow another hit en route to the win.

Pool F's play will conclude on Monday with games between Belhaven and Dickinson State at 2 p.m., followed by Columbia against Northwood at 4:30 p.m.