MT. PLEASANT, S.C. — SoCon Player of the Year Robyne Siliga belted a three-run home run to center field to give second-seeded Georgia Southern a 4-2 victory over fifth-seeded UNC Greensboro in game 11 of the 2008 Southern Conference Softball Championship at the Patriots Point Athletics Complex.
Georgia Southern (37-28) advances to the championship round of the tournament with the first championship game to be played at 1:30 p.m. Saturday against either College of Charleston, Chattanooga or UNC Greensboro. UNCG (23-32) will face the winner of Friday’s College of Charleston/ Chattanooga game Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. with a berth in the championship game on the line.
With UNC Greensboro threatening in the top of the seventh inning with runners on first and second and one out, Mary Catherine Vercoe chopped a sharp ground ball to third where Siliga stepped on the bag and threw on to first for the game-ending double play.
The top of the Georgia Southern order provided problems for the Spartans all afternoon as the top three hitters went 5-for-8 with three runs scored and all four GSU RBI. In addition to Siliga’s three-run blast, Aubrey Thweatt was 2-for-3 while Nina Iduate collected one hit and one run batted in.
Melissa Laliberte (19-11) earned the victory for GSU. The first-team all-SoCon performer scattered seven hits in 5.2 innings, allowing two runs, both of which were earned.
Megen Smith came on in relief with two outs in the sixth and went the rest of the way in the circle, claiming her second save of the year.
UNCG’s Amber Harrell suffered the loss, dropping to 11-18.
Georgia Southern’s appearance in the championship game marks the third consecutive season that the Eagles have reached the final round of the SoCon Tournament.
Georgia Southern (37-28) advances to the championship round of the tournament with the first championship game to be played at 1:30 p.m. Saturday against either College of Charleston, Chattanooga or UNC Greensboro. UNCG (23-32) will face the winner of Friday’s College of Charleston/ Chattanooga game Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. with a berth in the championship game on the line.
With UNC Greensboro threatening in the top of the seventh inning with runners on first and second and one out, Mary Catherine Vercoe chopped a sharp ground ball to third where Siliga stepped on the bag and threw on to first for the game-ending double play.
The top of the Georgia Southern order provided problems for the Spartans all afternoon as the top three hitters went 5-for-8 with three runs scored and all four GSU RBI. In addition to Siliga’s three-run blast, Aubrey Thweatt was 2-for-3 while Nina Iduate collected one hit and one run batted in.
Melissa Laliberte (19-11) earned the victory for GSU. The first-team all-SoCon performer scattered seven hits in 5.2 innings, allowing two runs, both of which were earned.
Megen Smith came on in relief with two outs in the sixth and went the rest of the way in the circle, claiming her second save of the year.
UNCG’s Amber Harrell suffered the loss, dropping to 11-18.
Georgia Southern’s appearance in the championship game marks the third consecutive season that the Eagles have reached the final round of the SoCon Tournament.
