May 18, 2007

Wallace State Softball Team Reaches Elite Eight in National Tournament



PLANT CITY, Fla.--The Wallace State-Hanceville softball team advanced to the Elite Eight of the National Junior College Athletic Association's Division I Fast Pitch Softball National Championship on Friday, finishing the tournament in a tie for 7th place.

 
Hannah Strength and the WS dugout

After shutting out Otero Junior College (Colo.) 9-0 on Thursday night and winning their first game on Friday 11-3 against Louisburg College (N.C.), the Lady Lions found their bats cold against eighth seeded North Idaho College and came up on the short end of a 3-1 ballgame.



"It's hard to walk away knowing you had the potential to go further," said Clem. "We set a goal this year to win a national championship and we didn't do that. But we have so much to be proud of."



Wallace State finishes the season with a 64-11 record, the most wins a Wallace State softball team has ever had, and the most wins of any team in the 16-team national tournament.



"We wanted to get 60 wins and we did. We were the first Alabama team to earn a win at the national tournament, and we won two games," Clem said.



The Wallace State team is made up of just three sophomores, so many of the freshman will bring their experience from this season back next year.

Courthney Underwood starts for second

"This is an awesome bunch of girls. They have represented Wallace State in a fashion that no team before ever has. Administrators, faculty, and people everywhere we go comment on what a great group we have."



A wrap up of Friday's games follows:



Game 3 - Wallace State vs. Louisburg



The Lady Lions eliminated Louisburg College 11-3 in the noon game on Friday. Wallace State eight-run-ruled Louisburg in the sixth inning to end the game early.



"It was another team effort for us," said Clem.



Wallace State scored five runs in the first four innings before giving up three to Louisburg in the fifth. The Lady Lions extended their lead in the bottom of the fifth with three more runs, and added another three in the sixth.



Dandi Ammons and Lindsey McDaniel led Wallace State at bat with 3-for-4 performances. Ammons drove in three runs while McDaniel had a RBI and two runs.



Courtney Underwood was a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate with three runs and 3 RBIs. Sarah Wilson was 2-for-3 with a run and a RBI. Rachel Baucom connected twice in four times up, drove in a run and scored twice.



Jena Franks drove in a run on her double. Ashley Pratt singled and scored. Delaina Franklin, who hit a home run in each of the Lady Lions previous games at the tournament, also had a hit in this one.



Brooke Allgood earned the win on the mound. She faced 20 batters in four innings, gave up three runs on seven hits and struck out one. Jennifer Sexton closed the game, pitching the final two innings with no hits and two strikeouts.



Game 4 - Wallace State vs. North Idaho



Holli Hill took the loss for Wallace State. Pitching in her second game of the tournament, Hill went two and one-third innings, gave up three runs on five hits and struck out five. Ashley Pratt threw the final three and two-thirds innings with no runs, two hits and six strikeouts.



A solo home run by Pratt in the second inning tied the game until North Idaho put two more runs on the board in the third inning. She batted 2-for-4 in the game. Jena Franks went 2-for-3 with a double. Courtney Underwood and Lindsey McDaniel also had hits.



The Lady Lions were put into the loser's bracket of the double elimination tournament with a 4-2 opening round loss to No. 4 seed Miami-Dade College on Thursday.



For complete results from the national tournament, visit www.njcaa.org or http://www.internationalsoftball.com/english/events/njcaa2007.asp.



For more information about Wallace State softball, visit www.wallacestate.edu or www.acccsports.org.

   
1. Ashley Pratt 2. Courtney Underwood at first 3. Dandi Ammons guards the plate for an out 

Delaina Franklin signals the out

Jena Franks at bat with Lacy Kerr on first

Jena Franks scores against Louisburg

L-R SS Rachel Baucom and pitcher Ashley Pratt

ROSTER:

No. Name Class Position Hometown

1 Jena Franks Fr 2B/OF Muscle Shoals

2 Delaina Franklin So OF Pleasant Grove

3 Brooke Allgood Fr P/UT Oak Grove

4 Amanda Rogers Fr UT Athens

5 Dandi Ammons Fr C/3B Chelsea

7 Brittany Walker Fr OF Madison

8 Holli Hill Fr P Boaz

9 Jennifer Sexton Fr P/1B Harvest

10 Sarah Wilson Fr OF Alabaster

11 Lacy Kerr Fr P/OF Athens

13 Hannah Strength Fr SS/UT Bessemer

15 Cady Smith Fr 1B/3B Town Creek

17 Courtney Underwood So 1B/OF Huntsville

22 Kaitlyn King Fr UT Moulton

23 Ashley Pratt Fr P/3B Madison

24 Lindsey McDaniel So 3B/1B Tuscaloosa

55 Rachel Baucom Fr C/UT Columbus, Miss.

  Kristen Holmes
  Director, Communications and Marketing
  Wallace State Community College
  P.O. Box 2000
  Hanceville, AL 35077
  256/352-8118
  E-mail: Kristen.Holmes@WallaceState.edu