Sun, May 17, 2009 - [Softball]

Hannah Ellis
Decatur, Ala. -- The offensive woes continued into the third game of the UVa-Wise trip to the NAIA National Championship on Sunday. For the second game in a row, UVa-Wise failed to score a run as 23rd-rated College of Idaho took advantage of a second inning error and passed ball to plate the lone tally, 1-0.
Hannah Ellis went down fighting as she lined three singles in the four at bats. Ashlee Washburn had the final hit with a first frame single. Lauren Snead had a solid performance on the mound. She went six innings with five hits, no earned runs, one walk and struck out seven.
In the bottom of the second, the College of Idaho (34-18) saw its second batter reached on a dropped fly ball. The next Lady Yote singled before the second out was made. A passed ball made its way past the Lady Cav catcher to plate the game's lone run, 1-0.
UVa-Wise (31-18) had its best chance to score in the top of the seventh. With one out, Mary Wilson walked and Ellis singled. Melanie Sutherland ground out to put runners on second and third before Kaitlin Bennett popped out to short to end the game.
The Lady Cavs came close to taking each of the last two games of the Pool play, losing 1-0 in each game. The team was down 2-1 in the first game against #8 Bethel (Ind.) before eight unearned runs went across home in the top of the seventh to fall 10-1.