Southwest Softball Takes On Roane State In Play-In Game

The eighth-seed Southwest softball team will play ninth-seed Roane State Community College in a Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA)/National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region VII Tournament Play-In Game at 2 p.m. on May 7 at Dyersburg State Community College in Dyersburg, Tennessee. The winner will take on top-seed Chattanooga State Community College at noon on May 8. The championship game for the double-elimination tournament is scheduled for May 10. The tournament champion will represent the TCCAA and Region VII in the NJCAA National Tournament May 20-22 in St. George, Utah.

Southwest (29-27 overall, 5-13 in the TCCAA) split a home doubleheader with Roane State on April 10 at Buckhead Creek Recreation Complex. In game one, both teams were scoreless through nine innings before Roane State scored three runs in the top of the tenth. The Lady Saluqis came back to plate two runs in the bottom of the inning and ended the game with the tying and winning runs on base. Southwest won the second game 6-3, scoring all six runs in the first two innings.

The Lady Saluqis are led by sophomores Lauren Dreher and Katy Ahrens. Dreher, who plays leftfield and catcher, leads the team with a .393 batting average, 53 hits, 11 doubles, 16 bases on balls, and a .474 on-base average. Ahrens, a first baseman/designated player, is batting .361 with team highs of eight home runs, 42 runs batted in, and a .583 slugging average.

Freshman right-hander Chrissy Darnell is the top pitcher with 15 wins, a 2.79 earned run average, and a single season Southwest record 213 strikeouts. Darnell also broke the single game strikeout record with 15 k’s against Dyersburg State.

Probable Starting Lineup

1. Lauren Alexander (freshman, second baseman, .315 average, 23 RBI)
2. Raven Pickett (freshman, catcher, .333 average, 11 RBI)
3. Lauren Dreher (sophomore, leftfielder, .393 average, 4 HR, 28 RBI)
4. Chrissy Darnell (freshman, pitcher, .318 average, 2 HR, 19 RBI)
5. Katy Ahrens (sophomore, designated player/first baseman, .361 average, 4 HR, 42 RBI)
6. Rachel Martin (freshman, rightfielder, .270 average, 4 HR, 23 RBI)
7. Collin Jo Wood (freshman, third baseman, .204 average, 1 HR, 11 RBI)
8. Jessica Goodin (freshman, first baseman, .206 average, 0 HR, 3 RBI) or Ashley Huey (sophomore, designated player, .172 average, 0 HR, 3 RBI) or Brittaney McGrew (sophomore, designated player, .143 average, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
9. Bianca Cowan (freshman, centerfielder, .227 average, 0 HR, 3 RBI) or Veonka Link (freshman, shortstop/flex, .000 average, 0 HR, 1 RBI)

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