VALDOSTA, Ga. (May 21, 2021) - The Rollins softball season came to an end on Friday night, as the Tars fell at the hands of the Valdosta State Blazers 5-2 at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park.
Rollins had already played once in the day, shutting out the #1 seed Auburn Montgomery to advance in the consolation bracket. They were denied any further progress by the #2 seed Valdosta State Blazers, who lost to West Florida earlier in the day.
Ali Shenefield was penciled in as the starter, making her fourth appearance in as many games in the South Regional. She ran into trouble earlier giving up a leadoff solo home run to Morgan Hill that gave the Blazers a 1-0 lead.
Tyler Jo Colby got the run back in the top of the second with a two-out solo bomb to left off South Region Pitcher of the Year Samantha Richards.
The power display wasn't done yet as Valdosta added two more home runs in the next two innings. Lacey Crandall had a solo job in the bottom of the second, while Logan Hill added a two-run dinger in the third to make the game 4-1.
Ashley Worrell was called on to relieve Shenefield, and did a fantastic job, holding the Blazers scoreless until the sixth inning. Meanwhile, the Tars struggled against Richards, managing only two hits through the first five innings.
In the top of the sixth,
Chelsea Peace did her best to spark a rally, sending an absolute moonshot over the center field fence to cut the lead to 4-2. Unfortunately, the Blazers got the run back in the bottom of the sixth on a perfectly executed safety squeeze to make the score 5-2. Rollins had a shot in their final at-bat, putting two runners on with a hit by pitch and a single from
Taylor Waters. However, Richards was able to get a strike out to end the game and the Tars' season.
Shenefield took the loss with a final line of 2.1 innings, four hits, four runs, and four strikeouts. Her final record stands at 13-1 for the year. Richards went the distance, and moves to 25-6 on the year.
Valdosta State will face West Florida on Saturday with a bid to the National Championship on the line. The Blazers will have to win twice to advance, while the Argonauts only need one win.
