SALEM, VA – The Winston-Salem State University Rams won the 2019 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Softball Championship with a dramatic 5-4 win over Claflin University  in game two of the final round of the conference championship tournament.

After taking a 4-4 tie into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Rams took advantage of an errant Claflin throw to claim their first CIAA title since 2016.

WSSU took the win behind a solid overall effort, but the win was a dramatic one. As a team, the Rams totaled seven hits in the game while allowing 11 to the Panthers. WSSU junior second base Daijah Chambers led the way with a two-for-three batting effort with two runs scored and two RBI. Senior outfielder Destiny Snipes made the most of her last trip to the CIAA tournament when she hit a two-run home run.

The game was a defensive struggle for both teams early, but both teams ramped things up late to make a dramatic game. The Rams jumped out early with a four-run performance in the fourth inning Chambers got things started with a two-RBI single that was followed by Snipes’ two-run homer. It was then Claflin’s turn as the Rams allowed four unanswered runs. The Rams allowed a run in the fifth and sixth innings respectively before allowing two seventh-inning runs to tie the game 4-4. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Rams got a foul ball flyout that led to Chambers advancing to third base on the tag. However, Claflin’s throw to third base went awry and Chambers was able to score that sealed the win and the championship.

Junior Erica Davis  took the pitching win. She threw all seven innings for the Rams and allowed four runs (four earned) with three strikeouts on 10 hits.

 2019 CIAA Softball Championship All-Tournament Team

Brooklynn Bilyard, Virginia State
Haley Cooper, Chowan
Kayla Cato, Claflin
Marion Goins, Claflin 
Chaston Huntly, Claflin 
Daijah Chambers, Winston-Salem State
Destiny Snipes, Winston-Salem State
Aniyah Jones, Winston-Salem State 
Erica Davis, Winston-Salem State – MOST VALUABLE PLAYER