Softball falls to Claflin in SIAC Championship Game
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HEPHZIBAH, Ga. -- Miles entered the final day of the 2017 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Championship needing three wins to earn the school's first conference title since 2012. But after a thrilling win over Albany State to advance to the championship round, the Golden Bears could not protect an early lead in a loss to Claflin. It was the second consecutive year that Miles (18-28) lost in the championship round.
GAME 1: (1W) Miles 4, (2E) Albany State 2
Kathryne Lambert's two-out, two-run single in the top of the seventh inning helped Miles avenge an earlier defeat and eliminate Albany State (25-23). Freshman
Jakari Suggs (4-11) held the high-powered Golden Rams offense to just five hits to earn the win.
Miles took its first lead in the third. After loading the bases with no outs,
Victoria McDaniel hit a grounder to second and Albany State attempted to cut the runner down at the plate. But
Jordan Jones beat the throw home to put the Golden Bears on the board. A sacrifice fly by Kendruena McPherson pushed the lead to 2-0. The Golden Rams, though, knotted the score in the fourth. A RBI ground out by Jala Stewert and run-scoring double by Lavette Tuck helped Albany State erase an early deficior the second straight day.
After stranding several runners in scoring position for the next two innings, Miles was finally able to cash in in the seventh. McDaniel and McPherson were on third and second - respectively - with one out.
Davis Watkins struck out swinging but Lambert came through with the big hit to score both runners before being thrown out at second base. Albany State put the leadoff runner on in the bottom of the inning but Tiffany Mass lined into a double play and the Golden Bears advanced after recording the final out.
CHAMPIONSHIP: (1E) Claflin 13, (1W) Miles 5 (six innings)
Miles scored four times in the first inning but a disastrous second inning gave the Panthers (33-18) the lead for good en route to the conference title.
The first four hitters for Miles reached base and all of them scored. Two Claflin errors on a bunt attempt by McDaniel allowed her and Zakierra Webb to score. McPherson tripled and scored on a RBI single by Watkins. She would score on the back end of an attempted double steal by
Jess Guzman for the 4-0 advantage. Claflin would get one back in the bottom of the inning but by the real damage was yet to come.
Jones lost a ball in the sun for an infield single. a walk and three consecutive errors on balls that never left the infield cut the Miles lead to 4-3. Chelsea Hall then lined a two-run triple to right center to give the Panthers the lead. LaKaylin Lee followed with a sacrifice fly and the score was 6-4 after two. Lambert added a RBI single in the third to cut the deficit to 6-5 but Claflin kept adding on until the game was halted in the sixth by eight-run mercy rule.
McPherson and McDaniel were named to the All-Tournament Team after the game.
