BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Campbellsville and Pikeville literally were playing for their lives in the second-longest Lady Tiger game in the Dakstats era. It was
Hailey Szpila's leadoff triple in the 13
th inning and
Jacqueline Roof's walk-off single to propel the Lady Tigers further into the Mid-South Conference Tournament with a 2-1 win.
University of Pikeville's Hannah Skaggs and Hannah Thacker teamed up to toss the 13 innings but Campbellsville's duo of
Neely Quint and
Rachel Denkins out-dueled them in the victory. Denkins (7-2) earns her second win in the tournament but this time in relief. She has now pitched 14.2 innings in the first three games of the MSC Tournament and allowed only four hits.
Neely Quint started and tossed five innings of three-hit ball while allowing a run in the third. The lone walk for Quint scored in that frame after an RBI single by Jill Bohnert. But that was the last time UPIKE would get a runner past first base in the final 10 innings.
Campbellsville was able to knot the game at one in the fifth.
Brianna Scott reached on an error by the first baseman Lindsey Floyd and ended up coming around to score on a pinch-hit two-out RBI single by
Alexis Smith.
Neither team got a runner past first the rest of the way until the leadoff triple by Szpila. After the three-base knock to the right field fence, coach Robert Staggs decided to walk
Alexis Smith and
Madison Mudd to load the bases for the two-time MSC Player of the Year in Roof.
In the three-hour marathon is the longest game of the MSC tournament thus far, as four of the first eight games have went into extra innings.
Campbellsville will now play three-seeded Georgetown College at 5 p.m. ET tonight at Michael O. Buchanon Park. Both teams are coming in after playing three tournament games but it feels like they have played four. Georgetown defeated Shawnee State in eight innings earlier today, 5-4. Last night, Georgetown lost to University of the Cumberlands in the first round in 11 innings, 5-4.
Fans can follow tonight's elimination game starting at 4:45 p.m. ET on the CU Sports Network at the links above.
