SAU Softball Sweeps Fayetteville State For Southern Division Title On Senior Day

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 RALEIGH, N.C. (April 22) – Saint Augustine's University knew it had the talent, attitude and desire to win another softball division title.

The Lady Falcons proved it Sunday at Lions Park. They swept Fayetteville State University 9-7 and 10-2 to capture the CIAA Southern Division championship, their second in four seasons.

Both teams were tied for the division lead, but the Lady Falcons (9-1 Southern Division, 16-8 overall) left no doubt who the better team was. After holding off the pesky Broncos (7-3 Southern Division, 11-23 overall) in the first game, they turned the second game into a rout. The contest ended in the fifth inning because of the eight-run mercy rule.

"We were ready," said Marley Parker, who was the winning pitcher in the first game. "The night before, we talked about what we needed to do. We were hyped during pregame warmups."

The title was especially gratifying to Parker (Langley, British Columbia) and fellow seniors Akera McPhaul (Greensboro, NC), Jasmine Rios (Greensboro, NC) and Haili Pettifer (Langley, British Columbia). They were honored between games on Senior Day.

All four players were key contributors as freshmen in 2015 when the Lady Falcons gained a share of the Southern Division crown on their way to a CIAA Championship and first-ever NCAA Division II Tournament berth. Their careers came full circle with Sunday's championship sweep.

"This means so much to me," Rios said after Sunday's second victory. "I knew when we started the season we had a great group of girls who were very capable of doing the same thing we did my freshman year. Everybody pulled through and did their jobs. We feel great going into the tournament."

The Lady Falcons were determined to get past the Broncos, who had won the last four games in the season series. Last season, Broncos swept the Lady Falcons for the division championship in Fayetteville, N.C.

This year, the Lady Falcons had other ideas. They leaned on their experience and immense skills to handle the Broncos. After falling behind 3-0 in the first game, the Lady Falcons never panicked as they exploded for five runs in the third inning. They never trailed the rest of the day.

After the Senior Day ceremony, the Lady Falcons never let up. They cruised to the division crown after jumping out to an early 7-0 lead.

"These girls have a lot of heart," SAU Head Coach Dot Neal said. "They wanted to win it for the seniors."

Staying true to their identity as a hard-hitting squad, the Lady Falcons combined for 23 hits in two games including two home runs. They entered the weekend leading the nation in triples per game and ranking second in doubles per game.

In the first game, the Lady Falcons had nine hits including four doubles, one triple and two home runs. Parker was 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored, and Pettifer was 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs. Rios was 2-for-4 with a triple, double, one RBI and two runs scored, and Tamiera Sanchez (So./Sacramento, CA) added a home run, one RBI and two runs scored.

The Broncos took charge early with three runs in the second inning but the complexion of the contest and the doubleheader changed when the Lady Falcons scored five runs in the third inning. Rios sparked the inning with an RBI triple and scored on a passed ball. Haley Sessoms (So./Kenansville, NC) added an RBI double and Pettifer had a two-run double in the inning.

After the Broncos closed within 5-4, the Lady Falcons added three runs in the fourth inning. Parker blasted a two-run homer and Makayla August (So./Palm Springs, CA) scored on a bases-loaded walk. Sanchez added a solo homer in the fifth for a 9-4 lead, and the Lady Falcons held off the Broncos in the latter innings.

In the second game, the Lady Falcons pounded out 14 hits to clinch the championship outright. Pettifer was 2-for-2 with five RBIs and one run scored, and Parker was 3-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored. Sanchez was 2-for-3 with one run scored and Sessoms was 1-for-1 with a triple, two RBIs and one run scored. Rios had a double and one run scored, and Chandra Mackey (Fr./Nassau, Bahamas) had one double and one RBI.

The Lady Falcons put the Broncos away early, scoring four runs in the first inning and three runs in the second for a 7-0 lead. The score was 7-2 in the bottom fourth when the Lady Falcons pulled away with three runs in the inning. They held the Broncos scoreless in the fifth for the victory.

As usual, the Lady Falcons were stellar at the plate but Coach Neal was just as impressed with other aspects of their game.

"Good defense and good pitching were the keys," Coach Neal said. "That's what wins ballgames. We played our best defense when we needed it the most."

Rios says the Lady Falcons are showing the potential she saw in the preseason. The team is peaking as they head into next week's CIAA Tournament as the division's No. 1 seed.

"Unity is the key," Rios said. "When we play as a team, no one can stop us."

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Players Mentioned

#3 Akera McPhaul: Util; 5' 7"; Junior

#7 Marley Parker: P/UTIL; 5' 10"; Junior

#13 Haili Pettifer: C/3B; 5' 10"; Junior

#4 Jasmine Rios: CF/Util; 5' 7"; Junior

#22 Makayla August: P/SS; 5' 8"; Freshman

#5 Tamiera Sanchez: CF/SS; 5' 5"; Freshman

#9 Haley Sessoms: SS/Util; 5' 5"; Freshman

#2 Chandra Mackey: IF/OF; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#3 Akera McPhaul
: 5' 7"; Junior
: Util

#7 Marley Parker
: 5' 10"; Junior
: P/UTIL

#13 Haili Pettifer
: 5' 10"; Junior
: C/3B

#4 Jasmine Rios
: 5' 7"; Junior
: CF/Util

#22 Makayla August
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: P/SS

#5 Tamiera Sanchez
: 5' 5"; Freshman
: CF/SS

#9 Haley Sessoms
: 5' 5"; Freshman
: SS/Util

#2 Chandra Mackey
: Freshman
: IF/OF

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned

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