Game Box
DeLand, Fla. - Fresh off of a thrilling 2-1
victory over Stetson earlier in the day to advance to the
championship game of the A-Sun Tournament, USC Upstate ran into a
determined Lipscomb squad that took an 11-0 victory over the
Spartans to win the 2010 A-Sun Softball Championship Saturday at
Patricia Wilson Field at Stetson University.
Upstate ended its season with a 41-15 record, topping 40 wins
for the first time in the school's three-year stint as members of
NCAA Division I and the A-Sun. Lipscomb improved to 48-11 on the
year and earned the A-Sun's automatic berth into the NCAA
Tournament.
"I think the first game took a lot out of us and we just didn't
match Lipscomb's intensity at the start of the game," said Upstate
head coach Chris Hawkins. "We had planned to get Morgan in there in
the middle of the game, but they jumped on top of us with a lot of
runs early and we weren't in position to get her in. Having said
that, Lipscomb is a very good team who deserved to win the
championship. We had a great run in the tournament and I couldn't
be more proud of the season and the effort these girls put into
this tournament. To make it to the championship game in our first
year of eligibility is something special. It is something that no
one can take away from these young women."
Upstate placed the most players on the A-Sun All-Tournament team
as juniors Kim Brasil,
Morgan
Childers and Lauren
Quevedo were selected for all-tourney honors. Brasil led the
Spartans with six hits. She drove in a pair of runs and scored a
team-high four runs. She finished the season second on the team
with a .323 batting average and a team-high 21 doubles. She ranks
third in the nation in doubles per game and just two shy of the
single-season school record. The 21 doubles are the most of any
player during Upstate's Division I era. Childers finished the
tournament 3-1 in four appearances, but did not pitch in the
championship game. She finished the season with an astounding 428
strikeouts, just nine shy of the single-season A-Sun record. She
ranks among the nation's leaders in six statistical categories and
finished the year with a 34-7 record. Quevedo led the Spartans with
a .417 batting average in five games. She collected three RBI and
belted her 10th homer of the season.
"We knew when Kim, Morgan and Lauren were freshmen that they
were special people and players," said Hawkins. "They proved again
in this tournament just how good they are. I can't say enough about
all three, and I am so proud of Kim for proving that she is one of
the best players in the conference, despite not earning
all-conference honors."
Kellie Sirus set the tone for Lipscomb in the first inning when
she hit a two-run home run off of Upstate starter Amber
Hamilton to give Lipscomb a 2-0 lead. The Lady Bisons broke
open the game with three runs in the second on RBI hits from Lauren
Dortwegt, Mackenzie Tucker and Sirus. Lipscomb put the game away
with two more runs in the third and four in the fourth.
Lipscomb starter Whitney Kiihnl had a no-hitter going until Monica
Hall and Quevedo collected singles in the fifth. However, she
went the distance with three strikeouts and two hits to pick up the
win and improve to 31-3 on the year. Sirus finished the game with
three hits, while Mollie Mitchell and Caroline Mason each had two.
Amber Hamilton took the loss for the Spartans to fall to 5-6 on
the year.
Upstate senior Crislyn
Chewning finished her two-year career at Upstate with a .353
batting average. She ranks in the top five in the A-Sun and was a
first team all-conference selection. Monica Hall also finished a
two-year career with Upstate. She ranked fourth on the team with a
.281 batting average in the best season of her Upstate career. Keri
Sarratt had a heartbreaking end to her senior season, suffering
a season-ending knee injury in the Spartans' 3-2 win over Lipscomb
Thursday night. She finished ranked in the top 10 all-time in
sacrifice bunts at Upstate.
