GRITTY EFFORT TURNED IN BY SOFTBALL AT REGION X TOURNAMENT

BURLINGTON, N.C. (May 7, 2016) — After falling to Pasco-Hernando State College in the opening game of the Region X Conference Tournament on Friday night, the Richard Bland College softball team faced an uphill battle on Saturday, needing to win three games to reach the tournament final and a fourth victory to earn the Region's automatic bid to the NJCAA Division II National Championships.

Showing resolve, grit and determination, the No. 2 seeded Statesmen nearly met -- and defeated -- that daunting challenge head on, winning its first two games over No.5 seed Southeastern Community College 10-7 and No. 6 seed Patrick Henry 13-6 before falling to No. 1 seed and 15th nationally ranked Florence-Darlington Technical College in a tensely played game 6-4.

The Statesmen conclude the 2016 season with a 20-20 record. In Saturday's three games, the top half of the RBC lineup produced big numbers, all coming from its sophomores. Kimberly Ellis had a huge day, going 8-for-13 (.615 average) with four RBI and six runs scored. Whitney Clements, the Region X Conference Player of the Year, went 6-for-14 (.428 batting average) with six runs scored and two RBI and Hannah Barnes went 4-for-12 with two runs scored and three RBI. In each of the games, opposing hurlers chose to pitch around sophomore home run threat Amanda Archer, who still produced a 4-for-8 afternoon with two runs scored and six RBI. Three of those RBI came against Southeastern-Whiteville when she clubbed a big third inning homer to swing the game in RBC's favor.

In each of Saturday's first two games, the Statesmen needed comeback efforts to secure victory. In the opener against Southeastern, RBC trailed 3-0 in the third inning and proceeded to pound out seven runs in the next two innings. Against Patrick Henry, RBC was down 6-2 heading into the bottom of the fifth before exploding for nine unanswered runs in the 13-6 victory.

For their efforts in the two-day Tournament Ellis and freshman Tabby Dabney were named to the All-Region X Tournament Team.

Florence Darlington 6, Richard Bland 4

The Florence-Darlington game had a flair for the dramatic as the Statesmen tied the game 4-4 in the top of the sixth after Ellis roped a triple to left to plate fellow sophomore Hayley Olson. Dabney then produced a clutch single to center, scoring Ellis. The Stingers answered with their own brand of clutch play in the bottom of the sixth, scoring both runs with two outs after sophomore Heather Kirby singled to lead off the inning and scampered home following a single to right by freshman Adrianna Weatherford. Freshman Brooke Benenhaley then roped a triple to left, scoring Weatherford with the all-important insurance run.

Undaunted by the shift in momentum strung together by Florence-Darlington, the Statesmen placed runners on first and second in the top of the seventh with one out, but the Stingers turned a game ending double play. 

Florence-Darlington held a 3-0 lead after two innings, scoring one run in the first and two in the second. The Statesmen added a run in the third after Ellis, who had four hits in the game, singled home Barnes. The game remained 3-1 until the top of fifth when Ellis scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of freshman Maddison Waycaster to trim the Stingers lead to 3-2. The Stingers earned a run back in the bottom of the fifth, securing a 4-2 lead, after a double to left by freshman Anna Warley brought home sophomore Kayli Miles, who reached base on a fielder's choice and stole second. 

Sophomore Ramsey Sherrill earned the win for FDTC, pitching 6.2 innings, allowing three runs on six hits with three strikeouts. Freshman Shannon Buffington suffered the loss in relief of freshman starter Brittney Wash, pitching the final four innings. She allowed nine hits, three earned runs and struck out one.

Richard Bland 13, Patrick Henry 6
The Statesmen pounded out 20 hits and erased a 6-4 deficit after four innings by scoring five runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth. The inning featured three big doubles by Clements, Dabney, who earned the win in the circle, and freshman Morgan Whitley. In that five-run fifth, RBC had seven hits alone, coming off the bats of Ellis, Olson, sophomore Abby Eichelberger and Barnes. The next inning Whitley drove in two runs with a single to center. Dabney earned the win in relief of Buffington with four innings of two hit shutout pitching.

Richard Bland 10, Southeastern-Whiteville 7
As she had done twice before this season, a home run by Archer swung a deficit in Richard Bland's favor. Southeastern-Whiteville built a 3-0 lead after 2 1/2 innings, but the Statesmen erupted for five runs in the bottom of the third, the big blast coming from Archer, whose 3-run blast over the left field fence stunned the upset-minded Rams. RBC tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fourth, increasing its lead to 7-3. Both of those runs came off the bat of Ellis, whose single to right field scored Olson and Eichelberger.

Down 7-4 after four innings, the Rams tallied two runs in the top of the sixth to come within 7-6, but in a huge bottom of the sixth the Statesmen scored three runs to protect its lead. A single by freshman August Ringer brought home one run and a sacrifice fly by sophomore Mikie Williams plated another. Dabney earned her first of two victories on the day, pitching the final five innings in relief of Buffington and Wash. Dabney allowed four runs on six hits with two strikeouts.