BOX SCORE

(ETTRICK, Va.) Chowan University came away with a 6-3 win over three-time defending CIAA Champions of Bowie State University in semi-final softball action this afternoon. Each team came out of their respective divisions as the top seed, setting today's game up to be a battle of the best teams in the league. The Hawks took advantage of two late errors by the Lady Bulldogs to help propel them to the late inning victory. Chowan improves to 28-22 on the year while the Lady Bulldogs move to 22-21. Bowie State will play Johnson C. Smith University at 5:30 pm on Virginia State's campus. Chowan awaits the winner of that game tomorrow in the 2010 CIAA Softball Championships.

Bowie State University got on the board first after freshman Amanda Hedgepeth (Odenton, MD, Arundel) tripled and scored after Chowan made an error in the field. The Hawks answered when Ashley Huffman knocked in Fahren Munro to knot the game at 1-1.

The score would remain tied until the bottom of the 5th when the Hawks scored two runs. Lacey Wildeboer led the inning off with a pinch hit single. Alex Allen singled in the next at-bat and then Allie Kolezynski singled to right field to score both Wildeboer and Allen.

The Lady Bulldogs scored two runs in the top of the 6th for the game's second tie after sophomore Shanae Smoot (Bel Alton, Md., LaPlata) doubled to left field scoring senior Elizabeth Slater (Glen Burnie, MD, Lenoir-Rhyne Univ.) and junior Shalai Tabor (Waldorf, MD, Delaware State Univ.). Chowan's Brooke Owen accounted for two runs after she tripled in the bottom of the 6th inning, scoring Shelby Pendleton and Megan Bass to get up 5-2 over Bowie State. Owen later scored on an infield error by Bowie State to give Chowan a 6-3 lead and eventual win.

Chowan collected eight hits while the Lady Bulldogs tallied five hits in the game. Kolezynski and Owen had a hit each with two RBI. BSU's Smoot was 2-3 with two RBI in the game.

Christie Wright pitched the win on the mound for Chowan after tossing seven innings. She gave up three runs on five hits and struck out five. Senior Faline Brown (Inwood, WV, Musselman, Hagerstown C.C.) got the loss for Bowie State University. She threw six innings, scattering eight hits and four earned runs.