Micalah Sacre runs home after her home run in the first inning against Cumberland University Tuesday afternoon.

HARDEEVILLE, S.C. – The Virginia Intermont Lady Cobras softball season came to a close to the Cumberland University Bulldogs, 10-3.  An eight run sixth inning by the Bulldogs doomed the Lady Cobras in the Opening Round of the NAIA National Softball Tournament in Hardeeville, S.C.

HARDEEVILLE, S.C. -  The Virginia Intermont softball team fell in their opening game of the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round to No. 15th-ranked Spring Hill College (Ala.) in five innings, 10-0.  Four errors by the Lady Cobras allowed the flood gates to open and the Badgers capitalized with five unearned runs throughout the contest.  The Lady Cobras were limited to just two hits.

BRISTOL, Va. – The Virginia Intermont softball team signed Honaker High School stand out Emily Kendrick this week. The two time Second Team All-State of Virginia member will join the Lady Cobras during the fall 2013 season.

 
This season Kendrick has put together a banner year for the Tigers batting .404 with an on base percentage of .415.  She has three home runs and 19 RBI.  In the circle, she has pitched 68 innings and has totaled 100 strikeouts, given up just 39 hits on the season.  

 
Prior to her senior year, Kendrick was a member of the First Team All-Black Diamond District team in her first three years at Honaker and was the BDD Pitcher of the Year all three seasons of her high school career.  She was a member of the 2nd team All-Region team in her freshman season and a First Team All-Region team member during her sophomore and junior seasons. For the past two seasons, she was a member of the Second Team All-State of Virginia team and has been the team MVP three years running.

BRISTOL, Va. – The Virginia Intermont softball team will head to Bluffton, S.C., on the campus of the University of South Carolina Beaufort for the NAIA National Championship Opening Round.  The Lady Cobras have been selected as the No. 3 seed in the USC-Beaufort bracket which will be played at the Gray Athletic Complex in Hardeeville, S.C.  Virginia Intermont will be in the second game on Monday against Spring Hill which will start at 12 p.m.

The Lady Cobras will face the No. 15th ranked Spring Hill (Ala.) Lady Badgers in the opening round of the tournament.  The Lady Badgers went 41-14 in 2013 as they finished runner up in the Southern States Athletic Conference.  Spring Hill lost to No. 3 Lee University in the SSAC Final, 1-0.  Also in the USC-Beaufort bracket is No. 9 University of South Carolina Beaufort, the No. 1 seed, and Cumberland University (Tenn.) who finished runner up in the Mid-South Conference Tournament.  The USC Beaufort Lady Sand Sharks defeated St. Thomas in The Sun Conference Championship on their way to a 41-4 record.

This is the first time in the 33-year softball national championship history of the NAIA where 10 different sites will host four teams in a double elimination tournament format before the winners from each site will travel to Columbus, Ga., for the National Championship Final.

Virginia Intermont was one of 31 teams to get an automatic qualifier for either winning or finishing runner up in their conference tournament, or by winning the regular season title.  The Lady Cobras won four straight games in the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament to earn the automatic bid on April 26th, 2013.  

BRISTOL, Va. – The Virginia Intermont softball team continue to rack up awards as they swept the Appalachian Athletic Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week honors for the third time this season with Micalah Sacre winning Pitcher of the Week and freshman Hannah McCloud taking the Player of the Week award.  Last Friday, the Lady Cobras captured their first tournament championship in six years as they put together three straight come from behind victories with a 14-2 exclamation point victory against Milligan in the tournament's finale.

Virginia Intermont's Hannah McCloud crosses the plate after her first home run in the Appalachian Athletic Conference Softball Championship in which the Lady Cobras won, defeating Milligan College, 14-2, in five innings.  Photo courtesy of the David Crigger and the Bristol Herald Courier Sports Department.

KINGSPORT, Tenn. – Seven runs in the bottom of the first inning for the Lady Cobras would be all they would need to capture their first conference tournament championship since 2007, Head Coach Eric Senter's first year at Virginia Intermont. VI pummeled the Lady Buffs of Milligan College in Friday's championship game at Domtar Park in Kingsport, 14-2, in five innings.

Katelyn Mitchell reacts to the final out being called as the Lady Cobras defeated Milligan College, 6-5, to move on to the Appalachian Atheltic Conference Championship on Friday.

KINGSPORT, Tenn. – The Lady Cobras used another late inning rally to take the winner's bracket finale in the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament at Domtar Park.  The Lady Cobras scored three times in the bottom of the sixth inning to defeat the Lady Buffaloes from Milligan College, 6-5.

The Lady Cobras swarm Hannah McCloud after her game winning hit to send VI on to the next round of the AAC Tournament.  The Lady Cobras won 5-4 in eight innings over Tennessee Wesleyan.

KINGSPORT, Tenn. - In a three hour marathon that saw weather delays, on and off rain, wind gusts, and extra innings, and absolute gritty play by the Lady Cobras, VI used two comebacks to put away the Tennessee Wesleyan College Lady Bulldogs in eight innings, 5-4.  Hannah McCloud (Knoxville, Tenn.) had the game winning hit to send the Lady Cobras to the winner's bracket final in the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament where VI will face Milligan College Thursday afternoon at Domtar Park in Kingsport, Tenn., at 3 p.m.  Milligan College upset No. 1 seed Reinhardt University, 6-2, in the early afternoon game to move on to the final.

KINGSPORT, Tenn. - The Virginia Intermont Lady Cobras defeated the Lady Lions of Bryan College in the first round of the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament played at Domtar Park in Kingsport, Tenn. Tuesday afternoon.  VI won 4-1 propelling them to the quarterfinal round of the winner's bracket.

The Lady Cobras got on the board first in the opening inning when senior Rachel Cook (Lebanon, Va.)  drove home Krystle Brenneman (Virginia Beach, Va.) from second base. Brenneman reached base and then stole second to put herself in scoring position.

The Lady Lions tied up the game in the top of the fourth with a two out rally, but VI would answer back in the bottom half of the inning thanks to sophomore Katie Smith.  The Lebanon, Va., native drove a shot to deep center over the fence to give the lead back to the Lady Cobras, 3-1.