#18 RICHARD BLAND ENDS REGULAR SEASON WITH A SPLIT AT FLORENCE-DARLINGTON

FLORENCE, SC, April 26, 2014- The Statesmen took the last of six lead changes in a back-and-forth affair against Florence-Darlington, securing a 5-4 victory on Saturday.

Richard Bland took the lead in the sixth inning and held on for the victory. The Statesmen went up for good on an RBI single by McKenzie Love off Taylor Norton, scoring Rebecca Condrey.

Tara Heatwole brought the heat against Florence-Darlington during her outing. Florence-Darlington managed just one hit off of the Statesmen's pitcher, who allowed no earned runs, walked none and struck out five during her three innings of work.

Taylor was the game's losing pitcher. She lasted just 6 1/3 innings, walked one, struck out one, and allowed five runs.

In the bottom of the second, Florence-Darlington grabbed the early lead, 1-0.

It didn't take long for Florence-Darlington to respond as it scored two runs of its own in the third. Florence-Darlington scored on a two-run home run by Taylor.

A key sixth-inning rally gave RBC Statesmen the lead for good. RBC Statesmen tacked on a total of three runs on An error and a sacrifice fly by Amberly Alston.

Game Two

RBC Statesmen outslugs Florence-Darlington in 4-2 defeat  

RBC Statesmen lost 4-2 in eight innings on Saturday, despite outhitting Florence-Darlington eight to seven.

Tara Heatwole took the loss for RBC Statesmen. She lasted just 7 1/3 innings, walked two, struck out five, and allowed four runs.

In the top of the third, RBC Statesmen grabbed the early lead, 1-0. Taylor Slate got things going for RBC Statesmen with a single. A single by Ayannah Bowman-Williams then moved Taylor from first to second. Sierra Ford singled, plating Taylor.

After winning the regular season conference championship, the Statesmen will now prepare for the Region X Tournament in Burlington, NC March 2-4, 2014. Richard Bland is currently ranked #18 in the NJCAA national polls and finished with a 23-9 overall record and 14-4 in conference.