TROUTVILLE, Va. – The University of Charleston and Davis & Elkins will meet for 2024 Mountain East Conference Softball Championship on Saturday afternoon at Botetourt Sports Complex. The two teams earned spots in the championship on Friday afternoon.
 
Charleston moved to 3-0 in the tournament by beating Notre Dame College, 4-2, on Friday afternoon in the winner's bracket final. UC will need to be defeated twice on Saturday as the tournament’s lone unbeaten team.
 
In the UC victory on Friday, Brianna McCown pitched another stellar game, allowing just two runs on eight hits, while striking out nine batters.
 
UC got on the scoreboard with an Allysa Lake home run in the first and a Morgan Hoppe RBI single in the second. Bianca Polistina also stole home in the fourth and UC scored on a wild pitch in the sixth.
 
Meanwhile, in an elimination game on field one, Davis & Elkins stayed alive with a 12-1 win over West Liberty in five innings. The Senators scored six runs in the first inning and ballooned its lead to 12-1 by the end of the third inning.
 
Lilly Saucedo and Ashlyn Zapach drove in two runs apiece for the Senators at the plate.
 
With the noon results in, Notre Dame and Davis & Elkins were set to square off in another elimination game in the 2:30 time slot.
 
The game went scoreless for seven innings to force extra innings. In the top of the eight, D&E’s Sharon Morales broke the scoreless tie with an RBI single to left field. Two batters later, Lilly Saucedo singled to left field to bring home Morales for the Senator’s second run of the game.
 
Notre Dame put two runners on in the bottom of the eighth, but D&E’s Sammie Jarvis worked out of the jam to clinch the Senators' spot in the championship.
 
Jarvis pitched a shutout with four strikeouts for the Senators. Notre Dame’s Grace Fisher also had a great performance in the circle, allowing just two runs on five hits, while striking out six. She went seven scoreless innings before surrendering a run.
 
Saturday’s championship game is set for 12 noon, with the "if necessary" game slated for 2:30. Visit Tournament Central for live coverage links and additional tournament information.