Box Score
Columbus, GA-The Belhaven softball team claimed the 2011 Southern States Athletic Conference Championship Saturday afternoon defeating Shorter University 8-0 in the tournament finals. The Blazers, ranked 8th in the latest NAIA Top 25 Poll, went 4-0 in the tournament and are now 44-10 in 2011.

Belhaven took control of the game early scoring a run in the first followed by three more runs in the second. Annalee Carr put the Blazers on the board with an RBI double sending home Christina Jaques who had singled to open the inning. In the second, Lizzy Hess bunted in a run on a sacrifice followed by RBI singles from Jaques and Carr.

The Blazers then tacked on a pair of runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to put the run rule into effect. Carr slammed her 14th home run of the season accounting for both runs in the fourth and in the fifth Katie Sanders capped the scoring with a two run single to center.

Carr led the Blazers at the plate going 3 for 3 with four runs batted in with one of the three hits being Carr's 14th home run of the season that at the time gave Belhaven a 6-0 lead. Jaques had two hits, an RBI and scored a pair of runs while Sanders had a hit and two runs batted in. Hess also chipped in with a hit, an RBI and two runs scored. Carr and Jaques were both named to the All-Tournament Team with each .500 batting averages for the tournament. Jaques cashed in seven RBI's in the four games that Belhaven played.

Sarah Burns pitched another complete game and earned the win running her record to 30-7 on the season. Burns scattered four hits in five innings with a walk and six strikeouts. Burns was named as the tournament MVP recording all four of Belhaven's tournament wins in the circle. Burns had a 0.29 ERA in four games and struck out 28 batters in the tournament.

Charlsie Broome, Jessica Womble, Kara Pollock, and Kristen Wright each had hits for Shorter University (43-13). Kristen Little started for the Hawks and went two innings allowing four runs on five hits. Kacey Hawkshead went the final three innings surrendering four runs on five hits.

Belhaven will now await word on their seeding and first opponent in the NAIA National Tournament starting May 19th. Shorter will also continue on to the NAIA National Tournament having secured the other SSAC automatic bid for being the tournament runner up. The complete All-SSAC Tournament team is listed below.

Judy Barber – William Carey
Brandi Richards – AUM
Scottie Wilkes – Faulkner
Annalee Carr – Belhaven
Christina Jaques – Belhaven
Milagros Lozada – Mobile
Jessica Womble – Shorter
Tiffany Schandera – Brenau
Libby Munson – Shorter
Sarah Burns – Belhaven (Tournament MVP)