COLUMBIA, S.C. – Elisha Ramirez hit a walk-off bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the sixth inning to help Benedict take a 9-1 victory over Fayetteville State in six innings in the second game of a non-conference softball doubleheader on Monday at Tiger Field.
 
Megan Blanks and T'yannah Lake had RBI triples in the first game, and Savanna Marshall threw a complete-game five-hit shutout as Benedict won 4-0.
 
The Lady Tigers snapped a six-game losing streak and improved to 11-12 overall. Fayetteville State falls to 2-11.
 
In the first game, Blanks hit a triple to right field to score Taylor Chambliss, and later scored on a passed ball to give the Lady Tigers a 2-0 lead. Cayla Crooks added an RBI single in the fourth inning, and Lake drove home Blanks with a triple in the fifth inning.
 
Marshall scattered five hits, all singles, and struck out five.
 
In the second game, Chambliss scored on a Fayetteville State error in the second inning. Jaiara Ruffin later had a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. The Lady Tigers scored four runs in the third as Ramirez had an RBI single, Blanks walked with the bases loaded, and Ruffin drove in a pair of runs with a single to left field.
 
In the fourth inning, Fayetteville State had the bases loaded with no outs. The Lady Tigers got out of the jam by giving up just one run. Benedict increased the lead to 7-1 with a run in the fifth inning when Shamaria Dupree walked, stole second, advanced to third on an error, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Blanks.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, Benedict loaded the bases on three singles. A groundout scored Lake to make it 8-1, then Rameriz followed with a sacrifice fly to end the game due to the eight-run mercy rule.
 
Ruffin finished with three RBIs, while Blanks and Ramirez had two RBIs each.
 
Kierra Evans picked up the win in the circle, giving up just four hits, an unearned run, and struck out three.
 
Benedict is back in action on March 27 with a home non-conference doubleheader against Johnson C. Smith, starting at 1 p.m. at Tiger Field.