Lynchburg
Wins 2007 Softball Title
Hornets Earn Automatic NCAA Bid with Win
April 22, 2007
Box Score (1st Championship)
Box Score (2nd Championship)
SALEM,
Va.
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Lynchburg College (33-11) overcame a loss in the
first championship game of the double elimination
format to defeat Bridgewater College (36-6) 7-4 in
the second title game and claim the 2007 Old
Dominion Athletic Conference Softball Championship
crown. The victory gave Lynchburg an automatic bid
into the NCAA regionals in a few weeks.
In the first game, Bridgewater put up four runs in
the second inning and three more in the third frame
to move out to an insurmountable 7-1 lead. Lisa
Rhodes, who was announced as the 2007 ODAC Pitcher
of the Year following the game, picked up her third
win of the tournament. She was also later named to
the All-Tournament Team.
After Bridgewater put up a single run in the first
inning of the second game, Lynchburg returned the
favor with six in the bottom of the frame. Brittany
Allsop started with a single, followed by the first
of three walks to Caroline Cubbage, who was later
named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player as
well as the 2007 Player of the Year. Jen Perkins
followed with a single to center that plated Allsop.
Tara Campbell walked to load the bases, and
following a strike out by Bridgewater hurler Lindsay
Lam, Kirstin Swank drew a free pass to force in the
second run. Audra Della Rosa and Dara Sandifer
followed with a single and a fielder’s choice to
each drive in a run, and Allsop returned two batters
later with a two-run double to center.
Cubbage, who hit 4-for-6 in the tournament with
three of those four hits clearing the fence, was
intentionally walked for the second time in the
inning to reload the bases. Amy Gills relieved Lam
and induced an inning-ending grounder off the bat of
Perkins.
Bridgewater made things interesting through the
middle part of the game, inching back into the
contest run-by-run. Lynchburg starter Larissa
Roscher did well to keep the damage minimal. She
walked Kaitlyn Bowman to start the bottom of the
third inning, but seemed to be on the verge of
skating clean through the frame after fanning Laura
Barry and Caity Butler. But Stephanie Steppe put an
end to those thoughts with an RBI double to right
center to make the score 6-2.
The Eagles tacked on one more in both the fourth and
fifth innings. Lindsay Ware drove in Jennifer Hall
with a single to right to cut the Lynchburg lead to
6-3 in the fourth. Bowman followed one inning later
with her third homer of the tournament, clearing the
left-center field fence to make the score 6-4.
The Hornets tacked on an insurance run in the
sixth. Cubbage walked to start the inning, and
Perkins reached on a throwing error by Gillis off a
sacrifice bunt attempt. Morgan Austin walked in
between a pair of pop-ups to load the bases with two
outs. Della Rosa followed the latter infield fly
with the Hornets’ seventh free pass of the game to
bring Cubbage home from third.
2007 ODAC Softball All-Tournament Team
Pitcher:
Lisa Rhodes, Bridgewater
Catcher:
Laura Barry, Bridgewater
1st Base:
Dana Dettmar, Emory & Henry
2nd Base:
Kate Reitz, Bridgewater
3rd Base:
Morgan Austin, Lynchburg
Shortstop:
Dara Sandifer, Lynchburg
Outfield:
Brittany Allsop, Lynchburg
Outfield:
Kaitlyn Bowman, Bridgewater
Outfield:
Jaime Roy, Emory & Henry
Designated Player:
Caity Butler, Bridgewater
MOST
OUTSTANDING PLAYER:
Caroline Cubbage, Lynchburg
