Wabash Valley's Kristen Broadway fires in a pitch in her team's opening game today, against Butler Community College.

EXTRA INNINGS, LOTS OF RUNS AS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP OPENS
2008-05-15

Sixteen games are in the books following the first day of play at the 2008 National Junior College Athletic Association Division 1 women's (fast pitch) softball national championship, being played (for the third year in a row) on the grounds of the International Softball Federation's world headquarters complex in Plant City, Florida.

Eleven more games are scheduled for tomorrow, starting with four matchups at 11 a.m. All games are being played in Plant City Stadium and the adjacent Randy L. Larson Softball Fourplex. Parking is free and tickets are priced at $10 per day for adults or $20 for a three-day pass and $7 for both seniors (65+) and children under the age of 12 or $15 for a three-day pass. Kids under four years old are free.

The tournament opened with four games this morning, including top-ranked Santa Fe Community College (Gainesville, FL) losing, 3-1, to #16 Spartanburg Methodist College (Spartanburg, SC). Santa Fe (56-3-1) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, but the Pioneers (34-11) tied it in the top of the fourth and then Anna Oswald hit a two-run home run in the top of the seventh to complete the upset.

Meanwhile, another Top Five team was losing a heartbreaker. Number Five Tallahassee Community College (Tallahassee, FL) got a solo home run from right fielder Lela Land with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning to force a 2-2 tie with #12 San Jacinto College-South (Houston, TX), only to see the Coyotes (37-15) record three runs on four hits and two errors (ending the inning with the bases still loaded) in the top of the eighth for a 5-2 victory. The loss for the Eagles (28-22) dropped them into an elimination game tonight against Western Nebraska Community College (Scottsbluff, NB).

Western Nebraska, ranked 13th, was on an adjacent field, falling 4-1 to #4 Wallace State Community College-Hanceville (Hanceville, AL). The Lady Lions (64-8) did all their scoring in the bottom of the third highlighted by Ashley Smith's two RBI double. The Cougars (54-8) finally avoided being shut out in the top of the sixth when Jessie McNabb drove in Mandy Pounds, who had walked to lead off the inning.

The other morning game was a 2-0 victory for #8 Midland College (Midland, TX) over #9 Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (Miami, Oklahoma). Taylor Howard's two-out RBI single in the bottom of the first drove in the game's eventual winning run for the Chaparrals (41-17), who added an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth. Despite seven hits (to the winner's five), the Lady Norse (36-11) couldn't beat pitcher Alex Riedeman, who pitched a complete game, striking out five with no walks.

The next set of four games (all 2:00 starts) saw 17 runs in one game alone. The 14th ranked Iowa Western Community College Reiver (Council Bluffs, IA) upended the third-ranked Yavapai College Roughriders (Prescott, AZ), 10-7, in an eight-inning affair. Iowa Western (51-11) broke open a 6-6 game with four runs in the top of the eighth with three home runs, including solo shots from Jenna Dell and Mona Horner plus a two-run dinger off the bat of Samantha Tiefenthaler. By the time Yavapai (46-16) concluded the eighth with a run of their own, the two teams had combined for 33 hits.

The #6 College of Southern Idaho Golden Eagles (Twin Falls, ID) took care of business with a 5-2 triumph over #11 McLennan Community College (Waco, TX). The winners (45-20) were a little slow getting on the board, as the Highlassies (40-17) took a 1-0 in the top of the first and held it until a five-run sixth inning for Southern Idaho that saw three home runs, led by catcher Anna Sorrell's three-run shot.

The other two games were shutouts, including #2 Chattanooga State Technical Community College's (Chattanooga, TN) big 8-0 win over #15 South Georgia College (Douglas, GA). Not only did the Lady Tigers (56-7) get a 3-for-3 game from shortstop Amber Janus and a three RBI performance from first baseplayer Megann Sallinger, but pitcher Courtney Alvarez struck out eight and allowed just two Tigers (33-19) hits.

The other goose egg was #10 Butler Community College's (El Dorado, KS) 3-0 decision against #7 Wabash Valley College (Mt. Carmel, IL). The Grizzlies (47-6) offense got one run in the top of the third and two more one inning later while pitcher Lauren Supak gave the Warriors (46-3) a taste of defeat for just the fourth time in 2008 by holding them to two hits, in a five-strikeout complete-game outing.

The early evening's (6 p.m.) games turned into night games - or, at least, the game that kept #1 Santa Fe alive did. The Saints got a two-run home run from Mallory Borden with no outs in the bottom of the 12th inning to defeat - and eliminate - Northeastern Oklahoma, 4-2. The Lady Norse twice had one-run leads, but went the final six innings without scoring a run against Saints pitcher Katelyn Murphree, who pitched all 12 innings for the win, striking out six and allowing the same number of hits. Offensively the Saints got a 4-for-5, one RBI performance at the plate from Kristina Cruz of Tampa (Holy Name Academy).

The tournament's other Florida representative, Tallahassee Community College, rebounded in a big way from their earlier defeat, knocking out Western Nebraska with an 8-0 decision. Two Eagles went 3-for-4 at the plate, including centerfielder Mary Helen Tyler, who hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning. Western Nebraska's Jessie McNabb's fourth inning single was the Cougars' only hit off of winning pitcher Amanda Reyes.

Number three Yavapai was eliminated after their two-run lead was erased by a three-run bottom of the third inning by McLennan. The Highlassies' 3-2 victory was courtesy of one swing of the bat by Michelle Ege. Her one out, three-run home run came after the Roughriders had gone up 2-0 in the top half of the inning on a solo shot from catcher Brittany Tucker.

That quartet of games was rounded out by offensive fireworks from Wabash Valley, who hammered South Georgia, 19-2. The Warriors scored three or more runs in each inning of the game shortened by the run-ahead rule. Designated hitter Brooke McCartney was 4-for-5 at the plate and two of her teammates had five RBI each. South Georgia, outscored 27-2 in their two defeats today, managed just five hits, although one was a solo home run from Kala Canady.

The evening wrapped up with four more games, starting with Chattanooga going two-for-two on the day thanks to a 3-1 victory over Butler. The Tigers got single runs in the first and third innings before the Grizzlies cut the deficit to one when Jacque Horejsi led off the top of the fifth with a solo home run. In the bottom of the sixth, however, Morgan Qualls singled in Casey Saunders to restore the lead and complete the scoring. Chattanooga's Brittany Fox went the distance, striking out four and giving up just three hits.

Wallace State posted their second three-run victory of the day, downing San Jacinto, 5-2. The Lady Lions scored early and often, putting three runs on the board in the bottom of the second and two more an inning later. The Coyotes tried to battle back, scoring twice in the top of the sixth, but despite outhitting Wallace State, 8-7, couldn't complete the comeback. Shortstop Hannah Strength drove in two runs for the winners.

Iowa Western put up their second ten-run performance of the day, beating Southern Idaho, 10-4. The Reivers came out swinging, building a 5-0 lead with the game just two innings old. The Eagles did themselves in with a whopping eight errors, although offensively Stephanie Holmes stood out by driving in all four of her team's runs. For the winners the offense was spread throughout the lineup and in the circle pitcher Samantha Tiefenthaler went the distance and struck out five.

The last game of the night saw Spartanburg down Midland College, 6-1. The 16th-ranked Pioneers pulled away from a 1-1 tie by scoring twice in the bottom of the fourth and three more times in the bottom of the sixth, in holding the Chaparrals to just three hits. A three-run home run by Brooke Lewis put the game out of reach and made a winner out of Spartanburg pitcher Chelsi Edwards, who struck out 12 batters in a complete game performance.