RALEIGH, N.C. - Shaw scored a critical CIAA divisional win, downing Winston-Salem State 7-6 in the second half of a doubleheader Sunday afternoon at Walnut Creek Softball Complex.  In the first, the Shaw offense struggled, losing to the visiting Lady Rams 6-2.  With the win, Shaw earns a spot in the CIAA Softball Tournament to be held April 18-20.

In the second game, Winston-Salem State broke on top in the opening frame, then added two more runs in the fourth to claim a 3-0 lead.

Shanice Anderson opened the Shaw half of the fourth inning with a single through the left side of the infield.  She made it to third on Cortnee Kelly's single.  Gina Yozzo's double scored both Kelly and Anderson. 

With two outs, Kiana King bunted for a base hit, scoring both Yozzo and Renee Holmes to give Shaw a 4-3 lead.

WSSU tied the game in the top of the fifth, but the Lady Bears responded with a run of their own when Jamel Manley scored on Shaniqua Fahie's triple down the right field line, giving Shaw a 5-4 lead. 

The Lady Rams reclaimed the lead in the top of the sixth, scoring two runs on two hits and two walks to take a 6-5 advantage.

Shaw tied the score in the bottom of the sixth when Erica Lafrades drove home Renee Holmes. 

In the bottom of the seventh, Kelly opened the frame with a double down the right field line.  Fahie's ground out moved Kelly to third.  Holmes then added a walk-off single to her resume, driving home Kelly and giving the Lady Bears a 7-6 win.

Holmes was the offensive star for the Lady Bears in the second game, collecting three hits, scoring two runs and driving in the winning run.   Anderson, Kelly, and Yozzo each had two hits, with Kelly scoring two runs and Yozzo driving in two.

In the first game, Shaw took the lead in the bottom of the first when Erica Lafrades got a leadoff walk, stole second, then came home on Shanice Anderson's double to left center. 

Winston-Salem State responded by scoring three runs in the top of the second to take a 3-1 lead. 

Shaw cut the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the third when Lafrades scored her second run of the game.  She got on base courtesy of a WSSU error, and eventually came home on Courtnee Kelly's double to center field.

In the top of the fifth, the Lady Rams added another three runs to their side of the ledger, and then held Shaw hitless in both the fifth and sixth inning.  In the seventh, the Lady Bears collected a single hit, but could not get the offense going to mount a comeback.

The Lady Bears return to action next Saturday when they travel to Barton for a non-conference doubleheader.  First pitch is at 1:00 p.m.  They return home Sunday when they host Virginia-Lynchburg in their Senior Day game.  First pitch for the doubleheader is 1:00 p.m. at Walnut Creek Softball Complex.