RALEIGH, N.C. -- Saturday's USA South East Division playoff doubleheader between #1 East Meredith College and #6 East William Peace did not disappoint. A 1-0 defensive battle in game one in favor of the Avenging Angels led to a thrilling 7-6 game two win for Peace. The split forced the best-of-three series to a final pairing Sunday at Noon.

The Pacers return to Meredith tomorrow to decide who will advance to the USA South Tournament next week as part of the league's Spring Festival in LaGrange, Georgia.

Game 1
Scoreless through the first one and one half innings, the Avenging Angels loaded the bases in the second only to leave all three runners stranded. Peace advanced a runner to third in the third inning but left her on base.

In the bottom of the frame Kelsey Mabe singled but was caught trying to steal second, and Maria Annunziata singled through the middle with two outs but did not reach home. The Meredith infield handled Peace in the top of the fourth.

Rachel Peel gave the Angels their next best chance to score with a one-out triple to right, but back-to-back groundouts put Meredith back in the field.

Taylor Jackson shut down the Pacers with back-to-back strikeouts to give Meredith another shot. Mabe singled again and Brittany Bucklin walked, but the Avenging Angels were forced back to the field once again in the sixth frame.

A quick three WPU at-bats sent Meredith back to the dugout with Eran Artigues leading off. She doubled to right center, and Charley Cox entered to run. Peel moved Cox to second, and Julia Allsbrook drilled one through the right side to score the game winning run for the Avenging Angels.

Jackson earned her 11th win allowing just two hits with two walks, striking out seven Pacers. WPU's Kelsey Durham also went the distance in her ninth loss allowing eight hits, earning the only run scored with two walks and four strikeouts.

Game 2
Per conference tournament rules, the Pacers played game two as the home team. Haley Ervin led off with her signature bunt single but was thrown out on the next play. Annunziata walked but both runners were left scoreless.

WPU opened the bottom of the frame with back-to-back hits and scored the game's first run on a sacrifice fly to center.

Allsbrook notched her second RBI-single on the day in the top of the second to even the score.

The Pacers responded in the bottom of the frame with three runs on three hits with help from a Meredith misstep to take a 4-1 lead. The offensive momentum brought Jackson in to pitch for Julia Cerasi midway through the frame.

Back-to-back Avenging Angel hits led to a WPU pitching change in the third. Annunziata moved the runners into scoring position, but the Pacers caught Ervin trying for home in the next at-bat and closed out the frame with a clean throw to second in the same series.

Myah Morse entered for Jackson in the third and walked the first two batters. A passed ball advanced the runners, but the infield managed the next three plays to get out of the inning.

Artigues led off again with a walk, and Cox subbed in to run. Cox was thrown out in Allsbrook's at-bat, and Erica Occena moved Allsbrook to second with a single. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch, and Mabe scored them both with a hard hit single straight up the middle.

The momentum was short lived as WPU scored two more on an infield bobble. Morse hit the next batter to load the bases for the second time in the frame, but she struck out Jordan Mangum to get out of the inning with Meredith trailing 6-3.

William Peace advanced that lead to four in the bottom of the sixth.

Back-to-back doubles from Katie Kepley and Bucklin gave new life to the Avenging Angels in the seventh, and Sarah Watson loaded the bases with a walk. Peel scored Bucklin and Kepley on a shortstop error, and Allsbrook hit her third RBI-single to pull the Angels to within one. With the tying run heading home, WPU caught Allsbrook at second to end the game before the run reached home.

Cerasi earned the loss for Meredith, and Durham recorded the win for the Pacers.

Follow Sunday's live broadcast with live stats HERE.

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