SALEM, Va. – Shenandoah University completed its most successful USA South Conference softball regular season Monday evening with a doubleheader split against Peace College. SU came back to win game two 5-3 after dropping the opener 7-1.
Shenandoah (13-21, 3-11 USA South) rallied for the game two victory with four runs with two outs in the fourth inning. This loss also sends Peace (23-15, 5-9) from the No. 4 seed to the No. 6 seed at the conference tournament beginning Thursday in Burlington, N.C. The Pacers would have tied for fourth in the league with NC Wesleyan and Christopher Newport, but gotten the No. 4 seed by virtue of sweeps over the Lady Bishops and Lady Captains.
The Hornets enter the tournament as the No. 8 seed. They will face top-seeded Methodist, the regular season champion, at 3:00 on Wednesday.
Trailing 3-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth of that second game, SU got a leadoff single from Catherine Beuerle before pitcher Tana Bartek reached when third baseman Sarah Heenan misplayed Bartek's sacrifice bunt.
Beuerle and Bartek both moved up 60 feet on a wild pitch to give Shenandoah runners on second and third with no out.
Neither runner scored.
Beuerle was retired on Kristen Windle's fielder's choice before Bartek was cut down at the plate trying to score when starting pitcher Joanie Blevins (12-9) offering got past catcher Nicole Shoemaker.
The Hornets then got four consecutive singles, the last by Alicia Sanders that included a throwing error, to score four runs.
SU added an insurance run in the fifth and Bartek retired nine of the last 10 she faced in order. She also snapped a personal six-game losing streak to improve to 4-9 with the victory.
Peace rolled to the game one victory with one run in the first, two in the second and four in the fourth. SU starter Katie Haskins (9-10) gave up all seven of those runs (six earned) on nine hits and three walks in 4.0 innings.
The Hornets were able to score just a single run off of Blevins, who tossed a three-hitter. Blevins struck out three and benefited from some outstanding defense behind her.
Ironically, Shenandoah scored its only run due to a PC error. Haskins opened the SU third by reaching on an error, stole second and moved to third when the throw from catcher Nicole Shoemaker bounced off of shortstop Erica Tucker's leg and into right field. One batter later, Ashley Ballentine lifted a sacrifice fly to right that plated Haskins.
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