(Petersburg, VA) – The Shaw softball team saw its CIAA Championship hopes brought to an end with a heartbreaking 8-7 loss to Johnson C. Smith Friday afternoon.  The Lady Bears end their tournament run 1-2, for a final 16-27 record on the season.

Ahead 7-3 going into the bottom of the seventh, the Lady Bears allowed the Lady Golden Bulls to score three runs before the first out was recorded, to make the score 7-6.

With two outs and the bases loaded, JCSU's Samantha Smith doubled, scoring two runs and ending the game and the Lady Bears' season. 

The Lady Bears opened tournament play with an 8-0 loss to Eastern Division winner Bowie State, which dropped them to the losers bracket.  They rebounded with a strong 14-5 win over Saint Paul's that kept their tournament run alive.

For the tournament, freshman Erica Lafrades (above), who was named to the All-Tournament team, hit a blistering .700 with seven hits in ten at bats, and scoring five runs.  She also stole five bases on five attempts. 

Both Chrystina Smith and Jessica Davis were four for nine in the three games for a .444 batting average.  Smith also knocked in three runs.  Senior Aerial Sanders rounded out her Shaw career leading the team in RBI in the tournament with four.

Detra Morrow pitched all three games for the Lady Bears, going 1-2 with a 7.82 ERA.  The freshman struck out 11 while allowing only five walks – three in the loss to JCSU. 

Shaw finished the season 16-27 overall and 8-8 in the CIAA.  They finished fourth in the CIAA's Western Division.

[Bowie State box]          [Saint Paul's box]          [JCSU box]