Box Score 1 | Box Score 2  FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Saint Augustine's University finished in second place in the CIAA Southern Division softball standings after rallying to beat Fayetteville State University 8-6 in the second game of a doubleheader at Seabrook Park on Sunday, April 7, 2013.

The Lady Falcons (15-10-1 overall) concluded the league regular-season schedule with a 7-3 record. It is the first time since 2007 that the Lady Falcons finished second in the division. The Lady Broncos (12-28 overall) finished third at 6-4.

“It is definitely a stepping stone for the program,” Second-Year St. Aug Head Coach Nikki Bumpass said. “We were third last year. By finishing second, it shows that the program is heading in the right direction.”

The Lady Falcons bounced back from a 6-5 loss in the first game by erasing a four-run deficit in the late innings of the second contest. The Lady Broncos led 6-2 after scoring four runs in the fourth inning, but the Lady Falcons scored one run in the fifth and five runs in the sixth for the win.

“I am very, very proud of the girls,” Bumpass said. “We didn't give up. Our kids believed in themselves. It was a big mental victory. We came in against Fayetteville State with both our starting pitchers hurt but we have other big players who stepped up.”

In the fifth inning, Daja White (Fr./Leland, N.C.) scored on an outfield error to pull the Lady Falcons within 6-3. It was the sixth inning when the Lady Falcons made their move. Daja White started the rally with an RBI double which scored Cierra Neal (So./New Hill, N.C.). The Lady Falcons tied the score at 6-6 when LaKeisha Ford (Jr./Madison Heights, Va.) scored Jennifer Plair (Jr./Hampton, Va.) on an RBI groundout and Taylor Walters (Jr./Douglasville, Ga.) hit an RBI single to score Jo'Landa White (So./Leland, N.C.).

The Lady Falcons took the lead at 8-6 when Michelle Shackelford (Jr./Bowie, Md.) hit a two-run single to score Walters and Ashia Nicholson (Fr./Asheboro, N.C.). After gaining the lead, the Lady Falcons relied on defense and pitching to seal the win. After re-entering the game in the fifth, Shackelford held the Lady Broncos scoreless the last three innings. She struck out four batters including two in the seventh inning. Shackelford ended the game by striking out a batter.

The win was especially gratifying for Shackelford, who usually plays first base but was called into pitching duties this week due to injuries to the Lady Falcons' starting hurlers. She bounced back in the second game after pitching during the Lady Broncos' seventh-inning game-winning rally in the first contest.

“[Michelle] played big for us in the second game after not pitching well the first game,” Bumpass said. “She regrouped and closed out for us.”

The second game started with the Lady Broncos scoring a run in the first inning. The Lady Falcons tied the game in the third inning on a Jo'Landa White RBI single which scored Plair, but the Lady Broncos added a run in the bottom of the third for a 2-1 lead. Neal tied the score again in the fourth inning on an RBI double which scored Walters before the Lady Broncos scored four runs in the fourth inning for a four-run lead.

The Lady Falcons pounded out 14 hits in the second game. Daja White was 3-for-4 with two doubles, one RBI and one run and Walters was 3-for-4 with one RBI and two runs. Shackelford had two RBIs and Neal was 2-for-4 with a double, one RBI and one run.

The Lady Falcons almost got the win they needed in the first game. They led 5-3 in the top of the sixth, but the Lady Broncos scored three runs in the last two innings to hand the Lady Falcons' the loss.

The Lady Falcons scored first in the contest when Daja White reached home plate on an outfield error. The Lady Broncos scored two runs in the same inning for an early lead, but the Lady Falcons tied the game in the second when Shackelford scored on an infield error.

The Lady Broncos re-took the lead 3-2 in the second. The Lady Falcons tied the game again in the fourth on Daja White's RBI double which scored Plair. In the sixth inning, the Lady Falcons opened a two-run lead when Daja White hit an RBI single to score Ramadana Simmons (Sr./Atlanta, Ga.) and sister Jo'Landa White hit an RBI single to score Plair.

Though the Lady Broncos regrouped in the late innings for the victory, it set the stage for a thrilling second game won by the Lady Falcons.

Daja White was 3-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and one run in the first game. Jo'Landa White had two RBIs and Plair was 3-for-4 with two runs. Simmons was 2-for-4 with one run. The Lady Falcons outhit the Lady Broncos 12 to 3.