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     CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Walters State Lady Senators set their sights on the first ever Tennessee Community College Athletic Association title and trip the NJCAA World Series when the season began in February.

     On Wednesday, the Lady Senators fell just short of their goal, as they were defeated 2-0 by No. 2 Chattanooga State in the TCCAA-NJCAA Region VII tournament title game played at Chattanooga State.

     Walters State opened the day with a 5-2 victory over No. 15 Volunteer State, the defending league champions, to advance to the title game where one swing of the bat proved to be enough for the home standing Lady Tigers.

     Shelby Johnson’s two-run home run in the top of the third was the only run producing hit of the game and helped Chattanooga State advance to the NJCAA World Series in St. Georg, Utah, next weekend.

     With the win, the Lady Tigers swept through the tournament and improved to 56-4 on the year. The loss brings an end to the most successful season in Walters State softball history, as the Lady Senators set a school record with a 46-7 record.

     Walters State freshman pitcher Kelsey Weddle, in her most pressure packed starts of the season, pitched gem in a losing effort. She allowed five hits, three of which were infield singles, and struck out three while making only one mistake in the 71 pitches she fired.

     Chattanooga State’s Ashley Czechner, who was named the tournament MVP, was just a little better, scattering four hits with four strikeouts in seven innings worked.

     The Lady Senators had a pair of base runners in scoring position in the fourth with one out but failed to score, and they had two more on in the sixth and came away empty handed. They made one last effort to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh on a double by Latosha Rectenwald with two outs, but Czechner got a popup to end the game.

    Rectenwald and Brittany Hefner each had two hits in the contest to lead the Lady Senators at the plate.

    In the opening game of the day, Lindsay Loudermilk belted a solo homer in the sixth inning to break a tie and Haley Taylor added a two-run shot later in the inning to give the Lady Senators insurance in a 5-2 victory over Volunteer State (47-9) to end their season.

     Loudermilk had a big game with her game winning homer and a two-run double in the third that gave Walters State the lead. Taylor and Hefner each added two hits in the win.

     The Lady Pioneers scored their first run on an error and Heather Daniel added an RBI double in the fifth to tie it before Loudermilk put the Lady Senators ahead to stay in the sixth.

Ashley Rhyne got the win after giving up two unearned runs on eight hits while striking out nine batters in a complete game effort. Rhyne, Loudermilk and Hefner were each named to the All-Tournament team for their efforts.

    Shelby Jo Fenter, one of the nation’s top pitchers, was saddled with the loss after allowing five earned runs on six hits in 5.1 innings.