The Angelina College Lady Roadrunners did not win a second national championship on Saturday at the NJCAA Division I World Series in St. George, Utah. They lost in the championship game to Chipola College (51-5) to finish as national champion runners-up.
The way they got to the final game will go down in the program’s history.
In the day’s early elimination game, AC hitters belted a total of eight home runs (a program record for homers in a single game) in the 15-13 win over Central Florida to qualify for the title game. With the Lady ‘Runners trailing the Patriots 13-10 in the bottom of the seventh, Tristin Anders hit a solo shot – her second of the game – and Sara Mayes followed with a gametying, two-run blast far over the centerfield wall to knot the score at 13-13. Emilee Cernosek drew a walk, and Garrett followed with her second homer, this one a two-run walk-off to send the Lady ‘Runners to the championship game.
Also belting homers for AC were Kaylee Ancelot, Emilee Cernosek – who drove in four runs – and Rachel Agnello.
To reach the final game, the No. 16 Lady Roadrunners – seeded 12th for the tournament – had to beat No. 1 Seminole State, No. 3 Central Florida and No. 6 Salt Lake over the tournament’s three-day run. AC fell to Chipola 19-2 in the final game, as the Warriors rolled through the national tournament without a single loss.
Following Saturday’s game, Lady ‘Runners McKenna Fryar and Kaylee Ancelot were named to the All-Tournament team.
The Lady Roadrunners finish the 2019 season with a 44-13 record.
The e-mail address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.