April 29, 2008

Prairie View, TX -- The Southern University Lady Jaguars fell to the Mississippi Valley State University Devilettes 6-3 in the final game of the 2008 Southwestern Athletic Conference softball tournament. This is the second straight year Valley has defeated Southern in the championship game and the fourth time the Devilettes have ended SU's season.

Southern (28-18, 13-4 SWAC) did defeated the Devilettes in the first game on Sunday, April 27th, when junior Lauren Dodd hit a shot over the left field wall for her first grand slam of her career. The Blue and Gold took a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning and eventually took the game forcing a second. Transfer pitcher Lanaya Jenkins gave up three hits and struck out two to earn her 13th victory of the season.

The second game did not fare well for Southern as the first runs of the game came off of two errors. Freshman pitcher Brittany Gillenwater gave up three earned runs while her replacement Jenkins gave up one. SU did not go out without a fight scoring two in the top of the fourth inning and adding one in the top of the seventh. Valley's Brittany Franklin, who was the tournament MVP, kept the Lady Jaguars at bay striking out two and only giving up three runs to help the Devilettes to their fifth straight SWAC crown.

Head coach Nancy Marshall ends her 12th year on "the bluff" with her eighth 20-plus win season. She is 14 wins away from her 300th victory.