For Immediate Release April 25, 1999
Maroons Win First ever Conference Title
Roanoke Receives Bid to the NCAA Tournament
SALEM, Va.--In just its third season of varsity competition, the Roanoke College softball team has reached the pinnacle of conference play, it has won its first Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship. The title came via a 5-3 win over the Bridgewater College Eagles on Sunday afternoon at the Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, VA. The Maroons are now 34-7 on the year and receive their first ever bid to the NCAA tournament. Roanoke’s Amy Layman (Salem, VA/Glenvar) was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament after tossing a shutout on Saturday, and picking up Roanoke’s first save of the season in the championship contest. She also was solid from the plate during the two-day tournament, play that was capped off by a 3-for-5 performance in the championship game. She also scored three times in the contest, including Roanoke’s first of the day.
Roanoke got on the board quickly on Sunday. Layman led off the game with a single and then stole second. She was driven home when Kari Whitney (Roanoke, VA/Cave Spring) reached base on an error. The Maroons put their second run on the board in the second inning. As Layman had in the first, Liz Croy (Salem, VA/Salem) led the inning off with a single. She swiped second base, and then took third on a Bridgewater wild pitch. Layman then grounded out to short, and trying to avoid a big inning, the Eagles paid no attention to Croy who easily scored from third on the play.
The two teams traded runs in the fourth inning, but Roanoke scored the deciding runs in the fifth frame. With two outs, the Eagles committed a costly error that led to two unearned Roanoke runs. Sonya Hylton (Floyd, VA/Floyd) hit what appeared to be a routine grounder to shortstop, but the BC player was unable to handle it. Kelly Gouldthorpe (Madison Heights, VA/Amherst County) scored on the play, giving Roanoke its fourth, and game-winning, run of the contest. Holly Morris (Barrington, RI/Barrington) followed with a single that drove in another run.
Bridgewater scored two more times in the sixth inning, but was unable to overcome the deficit. Suzannne Maddox (Amherst, VA/Amherst County) got the win for Roanoke, while Layman pitched the final 1 2/3 innings to get the save.
In addition to Layman’s three hits, the Maroons also got two apiece from Morris, Whitney, Croy, and Gouldthorpe in the game. In all, Roanoke pounded the Eagles for 13 safeties in the game.
Joining Layman on the All-Tournament team, were Maddox (P), Morris (C), Whitney (3B), Croy (UT), and Gouldthorpe (2B).
Roanoke will now wait until May 14th to begin play in the NCAA regional brackets. The Maroons are in the Atlantic Region and most likely will head to New Jersey for the regionals (May 14th-16th). In the latest NCAA Regional rankings, the Maroons were fifth, behind four schools from New Jersey.