Salisbury ends Panthers' season at NCAA regional
May 11, 2007

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - Salisbury ended LaGrange College's season with a 2-0 win Friday at the NCAA regional. The Panthers finished the season 26-20, with a GSAC championship and their first ever NCAA berth. 

Salisbury (37-8), the regional's #4 seed, remains alive in the double elimination tournament. The Sea Gulls play the Christopher Newport/Lynchburg winner.

The Panthers came up on the short end of another pitcher's duel for the second straight day. Salisbury's Stacy Davis (18-3) limited the Panther to four hits. Amanda Daniel (15-10) took the loss for the Panthers. She pitched her second straight complete game of the regional. Daniel allowed five hits, only one earned run, walked one and struck out four.

The Panthers had two of their four hits in the first inning. Kim Woodard hit a shot to left field, but was thrown out at second trying to stretch the hit into a double. Dicie Holland followed with a double over the leftfielder's head.  Davis escaped further trouble by getting Jennifer Knight to ground out to end the inning.

Salisbury did all of the scoring in the fourth inning. Nichole Fuqua reached on an error to start the inning. One out later, Jen Cahall walked and both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Davis helped herself by hitting a two-out, full-count double just over Chloe Turnipseed's head in left field to drive in both runners for a 2-0 lead. 

The two runs were all that Davis and the Sea Gulls needed. After a single by Valeree Williams in the third, Davis retired the last 13 batters to finish the game.

The game marked the final one for seniors Woodard, Holland, Dawn Smith, Hayley Hanson and Kellee Scandrett.

Woodard ended her career as a four-time All-GSAC selection, a two-time All-Atlantic Region player and this year's GSAC Player of the Year. Holland was a two-time All-GSAC and GSAC All-Academic selection. She made only four errors during her two years as catcher for the Panthers. Scandrett was a two-sport athlete in softball and basketball. She was an All-GSAC selection the past three years.

Smith and Hanson both earned GSAC All-Academic honors for three-straight years. Hanson finished her career in nearly all the top-10 pitching categories.