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JACKSON, Tenn. - May 13, 2005 - The Union
University Lady Bulldog softball team needed one extra inning to
earn the NAIA Region XI Title as they topped Campbellsville 3-1 in
eight innings. With this win, Union earns the automatic bid to the
NAIA Softball World Series in Decatur, Alabama next week (May
20-25).
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The Union University
softball team celebrates their Region XI championship. It's
becoming a habit -- the Lady Bulldogs have been there six
straight times before this year. Photo courtesy Union
University Sports Information Office. |
For Union, this is their fifth straight trip to
the national tournament and sixth in seven seasons. In NAIA Region
XI Tournaments, this is Union fourth title in the past five
seasons.
Union took a 1-0 lead in the first inning with
a homer by first baseman Danielle Pope. For Pope, this was her 14
homerun of the season, which continues to set a new season record
in that category with each round tripper. Junior pitcher Jackie
Cliff made that lead stand up until the bottom of the sixth inning
in which Campbellsville tied the game. A passed ball allowed a
runner to advance to third base, which set up a perfectly
excecuted squeeze play to tie the game.
Union's top hurler and NAIA Region XI Pitcher
of the Year, Mary Kosco, came in to stop Campbellsville's rally.
In the top of the eighth, Union had bases loaded with one out and
Jessica Kee at the plate. Just yesterday, Kee's suicide squeeze
gave Union the 1-0 win over Campbellsville in the winner's bracket
championship. Today would produce the same results as Kee's bunt
was perfect to score Holly Haycraft from third base. A single
later by Chrissa Norton gave Union an extra run to make the lead
3-1. That would be enough as Kosco pitched a perfect bottom of the
eight to earn the win.
In the two games between Campbellsville and
Union in this tournament (the winner's bracket final and the
championship game), three suicide squeeze bunts produced three of
the five total runs. Also, in Union's three wins (25 total
innings) in the tournament, the Lady Bulldogs allowed just the one
run in the title game.
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