St. George, Utah – The defending national champion Wallace State Lady Lions defeated No 15 seed Seward Community College (Kan.) 2-1 in the opening round of the NJCAA Softball Division I Fast Pitch National Tournament Thursday at the Canyons Complex in St. George, Utah. 

Kristen Skinner (18-2) pitched the complete game win for Wallace State. She faced 25 batters in seven innings, gave up seven hits and one run while striking out four batters and walking no one. 

Sallie Van Kirk led the Wallace State bats, going 2-for-3 with two runs. Sallie Beth Burch and Stephanie Needham delivered a hit and RBI apiece. Kelsey Dennis, Haley Anderson, and Caitlin Williams also had hits. 

“It was a tough game, but it’s good to get the first one behind us,” said an upbeat Wallace State head Coach Jayne Clem. 

The Lady Lions arrived in St. George late Tuesday and had the opportunity to practice for an hour on Wednesday.   

This is their first trip to St. George. Their previous appearances at the national tournament have taken place in Plant City, Fla., where the tournament was held until this year. 

Wallace State (59-8) entered the national tournament as the No. 2 seed. Yavapai College (Ariz.) is the No. 1 seed.   

Following the first round of games, an opening ceremony was held featuring the display of state flags and school banners. In addition to Wallace State, Yavapai, and Seward, other participants in the 16-team tournament include Seminole State (Okla.), Odessa College (Tex.), North Central Texas (Tex.), Motlow State (Tenn.), Florida Community College (Fla.), Gulf Coast CC (Fla.), Otero (Colo.), Spartanburg Methodist (S.C.), Southeastern Community College (Iowa), Blinn College (Tex.), Darton College (Ga.), Salt Lake Community College (Utah), and Wabash Valley College (Ill.). 

The Lady Lions face Gulf Coast Community College in the late game on Thursday. They defeated Gulf Coast 1-0 in their only other contest earlier this year. 

Gulf Coast advanced in the winner’s bracket after defeating Motlow State 4-3 in the opening round.  

Tournament play in the double elimination format continues through Saturday, with the championship game set for 2 p.m. (MST). 

Should the Lady Lions remain in the winner’s bracket, they will play at 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. (MST) on Friday.  The loser of Thursday night’s contest plays at 11 a.m. on Friday. 

Wallace State’s games in the national tournament are being broadcast locally on WKUL 92.1 FM.   

To access scores and statistics from each game, visit www.stgeorgenjcaaworldseries.com.

PHOTOS:

3235 – The Lady Lions take a break to celebrate their first win before the opening ceremony.

3234 – Wallace State head coach Jaynne Clem and assistant coach Tracy Grindrod discuss game
with a parent. 

3250 – The Wallace State Lady Lions present the Alabama state flag in the opening ceremonies of NJCAA National Tournament.

3249 – Tournament umpires are presented in advance of the National Guard’s Color Guard.

3252 – A local performer throws out the first pitch after singing the National Anthem. 

Kristen Holmes
Director, Communications and Marketing
Wallace State Community College
256-352-8118 (w) 256-339-2519 (c)
www.wallacestate.edu