The third-seeded Lady Flames of Liberty University were unsuccessful in their attempt to avenge a 7-4 Game 5 loss to the second-seeded Lady Highlanders of Radford University in the last game before the Big South Championship Game. The 7-2 Radford victory allowed the Lady Highs to advance to the championship to have their own shot at revenge against the Lady Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina University, who knocked off the Lady Highs in the Big South semis in a 1-0 pitcher's duel on Friday.

In that loss, Radford's bats were unable to generate success as sophomore Ashley Taylor took the loss in a complete game performance. Things went in a different direction for Taylor on Saturday as she threw a complete game victory against Liberty, striking out 11 batters and allowing two runs on three hits.

The sophomore, who also walked three batters in the game, helped out her own cause with the lumber as she drove in two runs in the contest and crossed the plate once. Also showing up on offense were shortstop Cassie Rhodes and right fielder Anne Tatum who both belted two-run home runs.

The Rhodes blast broke a 2-2 tie between the two teams to give Radford a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the third inning. The Lady Highlanders entered the half inning down 2-0 before Taylor hit a two-run single that drove in freshman third baseman Alex Roderick and center fielder Ashley Carlson.

Radford extended its lead in the bottom of the sixth inning to 7-2 after an RBI double by freshman second baseman Jenn Everhart drove in pinch runner Larissa Williams, who came in to run for senior first baseman Danielle Tompkins. Tompkins reached on a throwing error by Liberty shortstop Jessica Moore.

At that point, senior Cassie Martin came in to run for Everhart and did not stay on base long as Tatum smashed the ball over the fences in the following at-bat to give Radford its final runs of the game.

The two Liberty runs came in the top of the first as Taylor struggled to hit the strike zone, issuing three walks and two hits before getting out of the inning and cruising from there on, setting down the next 14 Liberty batters and 18 of the final 19 batters of the game to collect her 20th win of the season.

Lady Flames starter Sara Swor took the loss, finishing the season with a mark of 16-11 after pitching 5.1 innings allowing seven runs, two of them earned, on seven hits while walking one batter and striking out five.

With the win, Radford advanced to the program's first Big South Championship Game appearance and broke last year's record for wins with their 40th win of the season. It was a reasonable position for the Lady Highs to be in after an exciting season that had witnessed plenty of school and person records being set or re-set as well as other off-the-field exciting occurrences such as sophomore Britanney Brown's appearance on The Price is Right where she raced on to with the Showcase Showdown.

Needless to say, the Championship Game, like the season Radford put up since their first game against James Madison in the Hokie Fall Classic, did not disappoint.

Radford struck first in the top of the first inning. Carlson led off the inning with a walk issued by Coastal starter Meagen Johnson and was followed by Roderick, who fouled out to the catcher on a bunt before Rhodes advanced the runner to second on a single. After a strikeout by Ashley Taylor, Walling drove in Carlson on an RBI single. The Lady Highs would proceed to load the bases on a walk but Everhart hit into a fielder's choice to end the inning.

The Lady Chants struck back in the bottom of the inning against starter Breanna Felix on a solo home run by left fielder Kelly Feely but it was the only run that Coastal would plate in the inning as Felix struck out two batters in the inning including the side.

Both teams traded scoreless innings until the Lady Chants broke the tie in the bottom of the third after a bunt single, fielder's choice, walk and a fielding error by Rhodes allowed Liberty's Glynn Tolleson to score with one out. Felix would induce a fielder's choice and a fly out to center to get out of the inning.

Controversy struck in the top of the following inning as Radford plated another run and arguably could have plated another had the inning continued. With two outs, Everhart reached first on a walk and was pulled for a pinch runner. Michelle Carlson, who pinch hit for first baseman Shelby Rector, doubled down the left field line, driving in Casey Marin, who pinch ran for Everhart. Carlson attempted to reach third but was called out despite challenges from the Radford dugout to ask the home plate umpire for help. As a result, the inning ended.

The game remained scoreless into the extra innings as both teams' defenses and pitching buckled down to keep each other from creating any scoring threat.

Radford scored in the top of the inning on a key fielding error by Coastal third baseman Sara Hostetler who dropped the ball on a ball hit by Roderick that allowed Tatum to score.

At that point, Radford was in a position to win the game and force a second game against the Lady Chants for all the marbles.

But it did not end up that way.

Because of the way the Big South ran extra innings games in the tournament, from the 8th inning on, each team places the player who had the last at-bat in the previous inning as a runner on second base. As a result, CCU left fielder Kelly Allen was placed on second as Johnson came up to bat. Radford decided to intentionally walk Johnson, who was replaced by a pinch runner. Both runners advanced to second on a sac bunt by Coastal's Christine Doyle before shortstop Ashley Gerdts hit a pitch by Felix over left center field to end the ballgame.

Initially, the crowd that primarily consisted of Radford fans and family, fell silent in shock. A teary-eyed and clearly frustrated Felix hurried off of the mound as the Coastal bench cleared in celebration and hurled her glove with the rest of the team's equipment, as did a handful of other Radford players.

It was a heartbreaking way to end a season with so many positives.

However, there is still reason to be optimistic about the future of this incredible Radford Softball team. Of the 16 players listed on the 2005-2006 roster, only four are listed as seniors. Granted, two of them are Walling and Tompkins, two players who played key roles for the Lady Highlanders over the course of this past season, and they will be difficult to replace.

Even still, Radford still has plenty of its playmakers on the roster for next season, including both Felix and Taylor. It will be last campaign for Felix, who has already put up numbers that should earn her a place in the university's Hall of Fame some day and Taylor has emerged as one of the top pitchers in the Big South.

Radford was selected to finish third in the conference in the Big South Conference's annual preseason poll conducted by the League's Head Softball Coaches and Sports Information Directors and finished the regular season as the conference's second seed and was dangerously close to being named Big South Conference Champions. The team's 40 wins are the most and the 22 losses are the lowest in school history.

With a slew of experienced talent returning and an impressive resume, it would seem hard to picture Radford entering next season without the rest of the conference, the fans and the media expecting them to succeed.

(Photos taken by Blake Fought - May 13, 2006)