Bethune-Cookman defeats Texas Southern to advance to NCAA Regional Division I softball tournament

HOUSTON, Texas -- Bethune-Cookman College swept Texas Southern University in two NCAA play-ingames Friday at Memorial Field to advance to next week s Division I regional tournament at a site to beannounced.

The Lady Wildcats, behind the pitching of Miranda Mayse and the hitting of Kamilah Johnson, defeatedthe Lady Tigers 6-0 and 7-1 to earn their first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament. B-CC, 39-25 overall and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion, most likely will face one of the topthree teams in the country: UCLA, Washington or Arizona State in the double-elimination tournament that beginsThursday. Seedings will be announced Saturday night. Texas Southern, the Southwestern Athletic Conferencewinner, ends its season at 24-29.

I feel very good right now, said third-year B-CC coach Lauren Watten, as her team chanted on thepitcher s mound: We feel like getting up.

We came here and did what we had to do -- and that was to win and to win big, Watten said. We werea little lacksidaical in the beginning, but we came back and hit the ball.

The Lady Wildcats had no problem disposing the Lady Tigers in both games.

In the first game, B-CC s Mayse pitched a no-hitter for five innings before TSU s Jennifer Chandlersingled and reached on a fielder s choice. The Lady Tigers made a threat in the bottom of the sixth by loading thebases off a hit and two errors, but Chandler flied out to left field to end the rally. Johnson was the only LadyWildcat to belt out two hits, while Ange Williams drove home a team-high two runs.

In the fifth inning of the second game, Johnson gave the Wildcats some momentum when she belted ahomer, driving in Williams. Tamara McGee followed with home run, with Janelle Hall, who had stole second andadvanced to third on a pass ball, also scoring for a 7-1 lead.

Texas Southern coach said errors and inexperienced contributed to their loss. The Lady Tigers, whosesoftball program is four years old, committed four errors in the first game and five in the second. B-CC had twoerrors in the first game and none in the second.

We had too many errors and we were hitting the ball, TSU coach Yolanda Sinegal said. I congratulateBethune-Cookman; they are a good team. Our youth and lack of concentration hurt us, but this is my second yearas coach and fourth year of the program so we feel good about our success. We will be back.

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