Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 PETERSBURG, Va. – Saint Augustine's University completed its softball season with a 2-1 victory over Virginia Union University and a 3-2 loss to Virginia State University on the second day of the CIAA Tournament at Petersburg Sports Complex on Friday, April 19, 2013.

The loss to Virginia State eliminated the Lady Falcons and ended their best season in 10 years. The Lady Falcons finished fourth in the tournament which is their highest finish in recent memory. They posted a winning overall record (17-12-1) for the first time since 2003.
The Lady Falcons entered the tournament as the No. 2 Southern Division seed. The last time they finished as high as second in the division was 2007.

The Lady Falcons defeated Virginia Union, the No. 3 Northern seed, for the second time in two days. On Friday morning, the Lady Falcons ousted the Lady Panthers (15-10 overall) in the elimination bracket behind strong pitching from Hannah Stutts (So./Statesville, N.C.), who played in the tournament after sitting out approximately two weeks due to injury. Stutts fired a one-hitter in seven innings with seven strikeouts and no walks.

The Lady Panthers managed one run in the third inning, but it tied the score at 1-1. The Lady Falcons scored the eventual game-winning run in the bottom of the third when Stutts singled in LaKeisha Ford (Jr./Madison Heights, Va.). The Lady Falcons led 1-0 in the second inning on an RBI single by Daja White (Fr./Leland, N.C.) which scored Ramadana Simmons (Sr./Atlanta, Ga.), who was 2-for-3 at the plate. The foursome of Daja White, Ford, Stutts and Michelle Shackelford (Jr./Bowie, Md.) each had a hit with Ford getting a double for the Lady Falcons, who tallied seven hits.

The win eliminated the Lady Panthers and advanced the Lady Falcons to an elimination game against Virginia State (16-16 overall), the No. 2 Northern Division seed. They were two of four teams left in the tournament.

Trailing 3-0, the Lady Falcons scored two runs in the fourth to close within 3-2. Cierra Neal (So./New Hill, N.C.) hit a two-run single to score Shackelford and Stutts. The Lady Falcons threatened in the sixth inning with runners on second and third with two outs, but the Lady Trojans got out of the inning with a strikeout.

Simmons led the Lady Falcons in batting in the second game, going 2-for-3 at the plate. The Lady Falcons outhit the Lady Trojans seven to five but committed two errors.

Alyssa Morales (Shwenksville, Pa.) pitched a solid game for the Lady Falcons in the loss. She scattered five hits, struck out seven batters in six innings. She played in the tournament after missing over a month because of an ankle injury.

All four of the Lady Falcons' tournament games were close. They defeated Virginia Union 5-3 in the first round and lost to Northern Division champion Chowan University 4-3 in eight innings on Thursday, April 18.

The Lady Falcons appear to be a team on the rise. They will miss Simmons, but everybody else returns.