April 25, 2009 - Hattiesburg, MS – The stage is set for the 2009 Southwestern Athletic Conference postseason softball tournament championship game as the Lady Jaguars will face the Mississippi Valley State University Devilettes for the fifth time in the last six years.

SU (21-20) almost didn’t make the championship as they faced off with the Devilettes in the semifinal round of the winners bracket.  The Blue and Gold jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning but Valley scored one in the bottom of the first, three in the second, two in the fourth, four in the fifth and sixth innings to take a 14-7 victory.  SU added four runs to the scoreboard with one in the fifth and three in the sixth but the five hits and four errors was not enough against MVSU.  The Devilettes totaled 14 hits and 14 runs in the contest.

Senior Lauren Dodd ended the game with two runs, a hit and two RBI’s.  Sophomore’s Victoria Stewart went 1 for 3 with two runs while Kasha Tauriac finished with two RBI’s and a hit.  

With their first loss in the SWAC tourney SU had to wait around as Jackson State battled Grambling State in the loser’s bracket quarterfinals.  Jackson came out on top with a 5-2 win over Grambling and prepared for their second match against SU in the last two days.

In the semifinal game of the losers bracket Jackson opened the scoring with three runs in the top of the first.  Junior Aruba Nicholas and Dodd each scored in the bottom of the second to pull SU within one.  Both teams scored two runs in the fifth inning but Jackson State still held a 5-4 lead.  The Lady Tigers scored one in the top of the sixth but Southern’s Brittany Hymes scored off a shot into right field by freshman Audrey Phillips.   Kesha Tauriac stole home and Phillips score on an error to give the Lady Jaguars their first lead of the game and the victory 7-6.

Kesha Tauriac finished the contest with two runs and two hits.  Phillips went 2 for 4 with two hits and a RBI.  Nicholas completed the game 2 for 4 with a run and a RBI.

This is the fourth straight SWAC tournament championship game and the eighth overall title match for head coach Nancy Marshall and the Lady Jaguars.  This feat also marks the fifth time in the last six seasons that SU faces off with Valley in the final SWAC softball contest. 

Lone senior Lauren Dodd has seen this setup the last three seasons. 

“I know this could be by final game in the Blue and Gold but I know it will be different outcome,” said Dodd.

“With all the adversities that our team has gone through this season I know it’s a blessing to be where we are,” Marshall said.  “We have been fighting the entire tournament and I know that our fight will be rewarded.”

“We have seen Valley so many times in these championships games it’s like every year it’s us and them,” said Marshall.

The contest will begin at 12:00 pm at Timberton softball complex.  SU needs to win two games in order to claim the 2009 SWAC tourney title. Valley is undefeated in the tournament and only needs one victory to claim their sixth straight title.