Chipola Captures Conference Crown
by Joc Calloway - Chipola Athletics
The Chipola Lady Indians battled rival Tallahassee Community College in a double-header Saturday afternoon at Chipola Field in hopes of clinching the Panhandle Conference title and securing a top spot at the NJCAA Region VIII Softball Tournament.
The Lady Indians were victorious in the game 3-0 behind the brilliant pitching display of Brittany Black. In a complete game shutout, Black allowed only one hit while striking out 5 Lady Eagles.
In their second game, the Lady Indians jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with Michelle Hewett scoring from third on a single to shallow left by Ariell van Hook in the third inning. The teams would trade runs in the fifth as Chipola maintained a 2-1 lead heading into the seventh inning.
Down to their last out in the top of the seventh, the Lady Eagles of Tallahassee collected a pair of hits and plated two runs before the final Lady Eagle struck out looking, leaving two fellow teammates stranded on the bases.
Trailing now 3-2, the Lady Indians mounted their come back. After Trish Bliss was hit by a pitch, Dana Cauthen reached first base on a fielder’s choice and an erred throw advanced Bliss to second. With two outs in the inning, Chipola catcher, Kellie Todd, tripled to deep center field on a 2-1 pitch, plating Bliss and Cauthen to give the Lady Indians the 4-3 victory.
The Lady Indians’ record improves to 12-2 in Panhandle Conference play and 40-11 overall. The squad will return to action Friday, April 16th in their final double-header conference match against Northwest Florida State College at 4:00/6:00pm. The Lady Indians defeated NW Florida last month in Niceville by a final of 4-3 and 9-0.