Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 GULF SHORES, Ala. – The Belhaven softball team saw its 2014 Southern States Athletic Conference tournament run come to a close on Saturday, falling in the second game of the day to William Carey 7-4. The Blazers, ranked 15^th in the latest NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll, started the day with an 8-1 win over second ranked Auburn University-Montgomery leading to a third place finish in the tournament.
 
(Box Score-HTML AUM) (Box Score-HTML WCU)
"I felt like we played some of the best softball this weekend that we have played in a long time," Belhaven Head Coach Kevin Griffin said. "I was proud of the way that our entire team made this weekend a business trip instead of a vacation."
 
After a slow start against Auburn-Montgomery (38-6), the Belhaven (41-15) bats came alive with a seven run fifth inning. The Warhawks took the early lead in the second on a solo home run by Jade Sasser before the Blazers turned the tide in the fifth.
 
Victoria Sorrell led off the inning with a base hit and eventually scored on a passed ball to tie the game 1-1. Shelby Watson added a two run double and a three run homer by Ashley Hitt put the exclamation point on the inning. Denee' Crawford picked up an RBI on a single in between Watson's double and Hitt's home run. The Blazers tacked on a run in the sixth for the 8-1 win.
 
Ginger Lonergan (17-6) picked up her third win of the tournament with another solid complete game performance. Lonergan settled in after the home run and shutdown the Warhawks over the final five innings. Lonergan held the second ranked team in the country to one run on five hits; did not walk anyone and struck out four.
 
Four Belhaven hitters had two hits in the game, led by Hitt with the home run and three runs batted in. Crawford scored twice and added an RBI while Emily Todd and Sorrell each crossed the plate once. Watson chipped in with an additional hit and two runs batted in.
 
Cassie Daniels suffered the loss after being driven from the game in the fifth inning. Daniels (17-4) allowed seven runs on eight hits with two walks and six strikeouts in 4.1 innings in the circle. Sasser highlighted the offense for AUM, going 3 for 3 with the solo home run. Jennifer Jenkins and Katie Spain had the only other hits for the Warhawks.
 
Unfortunately, the momentum didn't carry over into the second game of the day against William Carey. The Crusaders came out of the gate with seven runs over the course of the first four innings and held on for the 7-4 win.
 
Josie Porter opened the game for Belhaven with a base hit and eventually scored on a wild pitch to make it a 1-0 game. William Carey countered in the bottom of the first with a two out two run home run off the bat of Jasmine Shelby. A two run double by Caroline Walker highlighted a three run second followed by a solo home run in the third by Hannah Cook-Kelley. The Crusaders picked up their seventh run on a bases loaded walk to Shelby in the fourth.
 
The Blazers chipped away at the deficit and made things interesting at the end. Solo home runs by Jessica Paris and Crawford made it a 7-3 contest and then in the seventh Belhaven brought the tying run to the plate. Crawford tallied her second RBI of the game on a ground out and in the process moved runners to second and third.  William Carey second baseman Sarah Beckman then made a potential game saving catch, snaring a line drive that was headed for the gap in right center off the bat of Ashley Hitt to end the contest.
 
Paris (12-4) was tagged with the loss in the circle, allowing five runs on five hits with two walks and one strikeout in 1.1 innings. The Blazers outhit the Crusaders 11-10 with Dominique Corona, Todd, and Sorrell notching two hits apiece. Crawford had two RBI's and Paris ended the game with one hit and the other run batted in. Sorrell had a huge weekend for the Blazers, going 8 for 11 with three RBI and two runs scored in four games played.
 
"Victoria Sorrell has really stepped for us when given the opportunity to be in the lineup and hit the ball hard all weekend long," Griffin added.
 
Brooklyn Guillot started and pitched the first 5.2 frames for William Carey en route to the win. Guillot (2-0) allowed three runs on eight hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Walker, Relanda McFarland, and Tiffany De Vore each had two hits to guide the Crusader offense. Walker had two RBI and Shelby led the way with three runs batted in.
 
The Blazers will now wait to see if they are selected for an at-large bid into the NAIA National Championship Opening Round starting May 12^th. The tournament field will be announced on Tuesday at 5:00 PM followed by the pairings at 6:00 PM.