Lynchburg Upsets Bridgewater, 7-6
Hornets Comeback to Earn Spot in Finals
April 21, 2007  -  Box Score

SALEM, Va. --- Lynchburg College (32-10) comeback from an early four-run deficit and later one of three runs to defeat top-seeded Bridgewater College (35-5) 7-6 and move into the finals of the 2007 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Softball Championship.  The Hornets will face the winner of the Bridgewater/Emory & Henry College (23-20) lower bracket semifinal in Sunday’s league title game at 1:00 p.m.

Down 6-4 going into the bottom of the sixth inning, Lynchburg put three runs on the board to make its way to championship Sunday.  An error put one runner on base for the Hornets, and a single by Brittany Allsop added a second.  Bridgewater reliever Ashley Gills put Caroline Cubbage on to load the bases, seemingly the lesser of two evils after the nation’s third-best batter had already cracked her 13^th homer of the season.  Elizabeth Perkins made the strategy pay, squeezing a single up the middle and bringing two runs around to score.

Gills walked Campbell to load the bases yet again, still with only one out in the inning.  Gills regrouped to strike out Lauren Duguay, but she hit Kirstin Swank on the next at-bat to force in the eventual winning run.

Larissa Roscher picked up the win for Lynchburg, moving to 8-5 on the season.  She tossed five innings in relief of starter Barbie Miles, giving up two runs in the effort.  Gills took the loss for Bridgewater, dropping to 6-2 on the season.

The Eagles jumped on the board first with four runs in the top of the third inning.  After Kate Reitz singled and Lindsay Ware walked, Kaitlyn Bowman hammered her ninth homer of the season for a 3-0 advantage.  With two down later in the inning, Mallory Sandridge singled to center off reliever Roscher to bring in the fourth run.

Cubbage brought the Hornets within one in the bottom of the frame.  With Danielle DiFranco and Allsop on base, Cubbage turned an inside fastball around and slammed it well beyond the fence in left-center for a three-run homer.

Bridgewater added two more in the fifth inning.  Jennifer Hall singled in Caity Butler for the first tally.  Kate Reitz followed a few batters later with a bases loaded walk to put the Eagles up 6-3.

Swank brought Lynchburg within two at 6-4 in the bottom of the frame.  She roped a liner over the centerfield fence for her fourth homer of the season, setting up the Hornets’ comeback one inning later.