Once the Winston-Salem State (WSSU) Lady Rams got the lead, there was little debate who was going to get the ball.
It didn’t matter that WSSU pitcher Brittany Lane had just come off a 13-inning gem only two hours before. Her team ahead entering the third inning, Lane got the call.
And that was it.
Lane earned her second win of the day – she also picked up a save in the Lady Rams’ first game of the day before noon – working five innings in relief as defending Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) champion Winston-Salem State punched its return ticket to the championship round after a 4-1 win over Bowie State (BSU) in the semifinal on April 20 in Petersburg, Va.
Infielder Francesca Edgerton belted a tremendous two-run home run over the left-center field wall to push the Lady Rams (28-17 overall) to a 3-0 lead in the second inning, prompting Lane’s return to the hill in relief of starter Monet Daly, who worked two scoreless innings to start the game.
Lane, who finished the day having worked a staggering 20 innings, earned the victory in a thrilling 4-3 13-inning affair with Chowan in an elimination game just hours before taking on Bowie State, which lost for the second time in two games on April 20.
Bowie State sophomore infielders Haley Snyder and Kiara Washington led the Lady Bulldogs with a pair of hits each. Freshman pitcher Haley Flint took the loss (5-6) for BSU, lasting only one and a third innings and gave up three hits and three runs. Read more Afro
