Statesmen Stay Alive: RBC Battles Through Elimination Day, Sets Up Win-or-Go-Home Saturday

SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, VA — With their season on the line in the Region 10 Tournament, Richard Bland College Softball delivered when it mattered most, earning a pair of elimination-bracket victories on Friday to keep their postseason hopes alive.

RBC opened the day with a gritty 5-2 win over Cleveland Community College before erupting early in a 6-3 victory over Bryant & Stratton (VA), advancing to another win-or-go-home matchup on Saturday morning.

Game one was locked in a tight battle through six innings. The Statesmen broke things open in the seventh, plating four runs to secure the elimination-game victory. After trading runs in the first inning, the game remained deadlocked until RBC's offense came alive late. Timely hitting from Kamryn Lane, Arianna Manson, and Rayna Klar fueled the decisive rally, with Manson driving in two runs and Lane adding a RBI of her own. In the circle, Ava Balli delivered a dominant performance, going the distance while striking out 11 and allowing just one earned run. Balli kept Cleveland off balance all afternoon, stranding runners and shutting down scoring threats.

RBC wasted no time carrying momentum into game two, exploding for six runs in the second inning to take control early. The inning featured contributions up and down the lineup, including RBIs from Jaclyn Betti (2), Daphne Hall, Kamryn Lane, Claudia Minetree, and a sacrifice fly from Grace Urban. That offensive surge proved to be all the support needed. Balli got the start once again, tossing five innings before Urban came in to close out the final two frames and secure the win.

The Statesmen will face Pitt Community College on Saturday at 10am in another elimination game. A win would send RBC to the Region 10 Championship against No. 1 Louisburg College at 12:30pm.

Because Louisburg remains unbeaten, RBC would need to defeat them twice to claim the title—forcing a decisive "if necessary" game approximately 30 minutes after the first championship matchup.

For the full schedule and updates throughout the season, visit https://www.rbcathletics.com/sports/sball/2025-26/schedule or follow @rbcsoftball on social media.