Lynchburg Wins 2007 Softball Title

SALEM, Va. --- Lynchburg College (33-11) overcame a loss in the first championship game of the double elimination format to defeat Bridgewater College (36-6) 7-4 in the second title game and claim the 2007 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Softball Championship crown. The victory gave Lynchburg an automatic bid into the NCAA regionals in a few weeks.

In the first game, Bridgewater put up four runs in the second inning and three more in the third frame to move out to an insurmountable 7-1 lead. Lisa Rhodes, who was announced as the 2007 ODAC Pitcher of the Year following the game, picked up her third win of the tournament. She was also later named to the All-Tournament Team.

After Bridgewater put up a single run in the first inning of the second game, Lynchburg returned the favor with six in the bottom of the frame. Brittany Allsop started with a single, followed by the first of three walks to Caroline Cubbage, who was later named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player as well as the 2007 Player of the Year. Elizabeth Perkins followed with a single to center that plated Allsop. Tara Campbell walked to load the bases, and following a strike out by Bridgewater hurler Lindsay Lam, Kirstin Swank drew a free pass to force in the second run. Audra Della Rosa and Dara Sandifer followed with a single and a fielder’s choice to each drive in a run, and Allsop returned two batters later with a two-run double to center.

Cubbage, who hit 4-for-6 in the tournament with three of those four hits clearing the fence, was intentionally walked for the second time in the inning to reload the bases. Amy Gills relieved Lam and induced an inning-ending grounder off the bat of Perkins.

Bridgewater made things interesting through the middle part of the game, inching back into the contest run-by-run. Lynchburg starter Larissa Roscher did well to keep the damage minimal. She walked Kaitlyn Bowman to start the bottom of the third inning, but seemed to be on the verge of skating clean through the frame after fanning Laura Barry and Caity Butler. But Stephanie Steppe put an end to those thoughts with an RBI double to right center to make the score 6-2.

The Eagles tacked on one more in both the fourth and fifth innings. Lindsay Ware drove in Jennifer Hall with a single to right to cut the Lynchburg lead to 6-3 in the fourth. Bowman followed one inning later with her third homer of the tournament, clearing the left-center field fence to make the score 6-4.

The Hornets tacked on an insurance run in the sixth. Cubbage walked to start the inning, and Perkins reached on a throwing error by Gillis off a sacrifice bunt attempt. Morgan Austin walked in between a pair of pop-ups to load the bases with two outs. Della Rosa followed the latter infield fly with the Hornets’ seventh free pass of the game to bring Cubbage home from third.

Pitcher: Lisa Rhodes, Bridgewater
Catcher: Laura Barry, Bridgewater
1st Base: Dana Dettmar, Emory & Henry
2nd Base: Kate Reitz, Bridgewater
3rd Base: Morgan Austin, Lynchburg
Shortstop: Dara Sandifer, Lynchburg
Outfield: Brittany Allsop, Lynchburg
Outfield: Kaitlyn Bowman, Bridgewater
Outfield: Jaime Roy, Emory & Henry
Designated Player: Caity Butler, Bridgewater
MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER: Caroline Cubbage, Lynchburg