SPARTANBURG, S.C. – With her first home run of the season and just the third of her career, sophomore
Karleigh Crabill helped lead the Converse University softball team (14-20, 3-5 Conference Carolinas) to a walk-off 11-9 victory in game one of their doubleheader against the Southern Wesleyan Warriors (16-12, 6-2 Conference Carolinas). The Warriors won game two 10-2.
Crabill led the team with six RBIs on the day. She also scored twice. Sophomore Victoria Dichio led the Valkyries in hits with three in game one. Serving as the team's designated player in game two, junior Sydney Watson knocked four hits in game two. She tallied five on the day.
Junior Riley Lingerfelt received both the win in game one and the loss for game two. Freshman Madison Davis pitched a career-high five innings in game two and allowed just three runs. All four of the Valkyries' pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts across the doubleheader.
Game One: Converse 11, Southern Wesleyan 9
A fielding error in the first inning allowed the Warriors to plate two runs in the first inning. A home run in the top of the second grew the lead to 5-0.
The Valkyries responded in the bottom of the inning with three runs of their own. Crabill picked up her first two RBIs of the day with a double over the center fielder's head, plating two runs with one out. Crabill came around to score when sophomore Chesney Miles reached via fielding error, cutting the lead back to where it was entering the inning: two runs, 5-3.
Southern Wesleyan picked up one run in both the top of the fourth and fifth innings, bringing the lead back to four runs, 7-3.
Watson brought home the first of the Valkyries' runs in the bottom of the fifth inning before Dichio tallied two RBIs with a single into left field, cutting the lead to a single run, 7-6.
After Lingerfelt sat the Warriors down in order in the top of the sixth, Miles singled through the right side, plating the tying run with no outs. Unfortunately even with Miles getting to third base with just a single out, the Valkyries had to settle for the 7-7 tie heading into the seventh inning.
A Southern-Wesleyan home run in the top of the seventh inning put Converse in a deficit once again, but the Valkyries were not prepared to go down without a fight.
Working station-to-station, the first three Valkyries in the seventh inning singled, with the others advancing just one base each time. Crabill was set up perfectly to take the ball deep to center field, plating four runs and walking the game off for Converse 11-9.
Game Two: Southern Wesleyan 10, Converse 2
The Warriors jumped out early on the Valkyries in game two, plating two runs in each of the first three innings.
Sophomore AJ Albano knocked an RBI single in the second inning and Watson did likewise in the third inning. Unfortunately for Converse, it was all the scoring they would do in the game.
Southern Wesleyan added two runs in the top of the fifth and seventh innings, giving them their 10-run total and winning the game 10-2.
On deck for the Valkyries:
The Valkyries will need to get a good night's sleep following the split as they are on the road tomorrow, March 24 to take on regional-foe Anderson at 1 P.M.
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