Walk-Off Home Run Gives Lenoir-Rhyne 4-3 Win over Anderson in SAC Championship Game
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Jody Mizelle led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a home run to give Lenoir-Rhyne University a 4-3 victory over Anderson University and the 2012 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Championship Sunday afternoon at Red Edmonds Field on the campus of Tusculum College.
Mizelle hit a 2-1 pitch from Amber Duncan over the fence in right-center field to give the top-seeded Bears (46-11) their third straight SAC Tournament championship and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
The Trojans (38-13) trailed 3-0 after four innings but rallied to tie the game with three runs in the fifth. Both teams had leadoff runners reach base in the sixth and seventh innings, before Mizelle's ninth home run of the season gave the Bears the win and the championship.
Lenoir-Rhyne took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning thanks to two errors from the Anderson defense. Mizelle lined a single to center and moved to third when the ball got past the Trojans' center fielder. The ensuing relay throw to third was off line, and Mizelle came across the plate for the game's first run.
The Bears added two runs in the fourth to take a 3-0 lead. Jessica Fellmeth reached on an error and later scored on a wild pitch, and Megan Laxton added an RBI single that brought home Brittany Coursent with Lenoir-Rhyne's third run.
Anderson fought back in the fifth against Lenoir-Rhyne starter Dawon Millwood, who had allowed just one run in 23 innings in the tournament to that point. Duncan led off with a walk and moved to second on a single by Rachel Rhodes. Bri Cason followed with a double to left-center to knock in Duncan for the Trojans' first run, and Rebecca Martin came through with a two-out double to plate Rhodes and Cason with the tying runs.
Lenoir-Rhyne could not convert a leadoff walk to Carlee Carpenter in the fifth, and Anderson squandered a leadoff single by Danielle Swygert in the sixth. Coursen led off the Bears' sixth with a single, but Duncan shut the door to preserve the tie. In the seventh, Cason reached on an error to open the inning for the Trojans, but a pair of fielder's choices sent the teams to the bottom of the seventh still tied.
Millwood (32-6) allowed five hits and three earned runs for the Bears, striking out two and walking two. Duncan (23-10) gave up seven hits and four runs (two earned), with three strikeouts and two walks for the Trojans.
Rhodes led the way at the plate for Anderson, going 2-for-3 with a run scored, while Coursen and Mizelle each had a pair of hits for Lenoir-Rhyne.
The All-Tournament Team and Most Valuable Player award will be announced Monday by the conference office.
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