Pool D Recap: Day Three (Saturday)
GULF SHORES, Ala. - Central Baptist (Ark.) needed a big win to advance and the Mustangs did it against Lee (Tenn.) in the final day of Pool D action at the NAIA Softball National Championship. Behind seven extra-base hits, the Mustangs eliminated Lee by a 7-2 count. The event is being held at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex for the second-straight year.
With three teams at 2-1 in Pool D, Central Baptist won the tie-breaker to advance to Monday's double-elimination bracket at 10 a.m. CDT against Indiana Southeast. The Mustangs advance based upon run differential between Lee, Morningside (Iowa) and Reinhardt (Ga.). Earlier in the day, Reinhardt run-ruled Morningside, 9-0 in five innings.
Central Baptist got on Lee early with a single run in the second and three in the third. Tracy Ratliff rapped one of her teams five doubles with a run-producing right-field gapper in the second. The Mustangs scored three more in the next inning on a double, single and bases-loaded walk.
Samantha Luther put the game out of reach with a two-run home run in the fifth inning. At that point, the Mustangs led 6-0 and would later go up by one more after a Erica Gunter roundtripper in the sixth. Lee produced two runs in the sixth on two base hits. A Dominique Hannah walk and Jennifer Ringle single drove in both runs.
Jessica Bock stood strong in the circle for the Mustangs as she notched the complete-game win. She struck out six, walked five and allowed two runs on eight hits.
Samantha Luther led the Mustangs with three hits, three RBI and two runs scored. Ana Coscorrosa went 3-for-4 at the plate for Lee.
In the Reinhardt win over Morningside, the Lady Eagles got plenty of offensive support early. Reinhardt placed its first three runners on base in the bottom of the first. Haley Brannon had a RBI-single before Haley Williams laced a single up the middle to score two.
Leading 3-0, the Lady Eagles tacked on six more runs.
Brannon and Nikki Roddy each finished with a pair of hits for the Lady Eagles. Morningside had four different players reach base on a hit.
Maddie Monroe gave up four hits and struck out three in the complete-game (5.0 innings) victory.