PEMBROKE – Taylor Cloninger sent the second pitch of the game over the fence in rightfield to give UNCP a quick start, but California (Pa.) struck for lone runs in four different innings and held off a late rally by the Braves to grab a 4-3 win on Sunday afternoon in the final game for both teams at the UNCP Invitational.

The Braves (4-7) got multi-hit days from both Cloninger (2-for-4, 3 RBI) and freshman Caitlin Steel (2-for-3, R), but just one hit from the rest of its batting order. Megan Hillard singled and scored for the Black & Gold, while Karlee Wilson walked twice on a 0-for-1 hitting line.

Lindsay Reicoff homered and drove in a pair of runs on a 2-for-2 outing for the Vulcans (5-0), who had already posted a 6-2 win over the Braves on Friday. Natalya Smarra drove in a run on a 2-for-3 day at the plate for California as well.

Natalie Klemann (2-2) struck out a pair of batters, but took the loss for UNCP after yielding four runs (three earned) on eight hits and a pair of walks in six innings from the circle. Alex Sagle (2-0) picked up the win in relief for the Vulcans by striking out two and allowing just one earned run on three hits over the final six innings of the game.

After Cloninger's blast in the top of the first, Reicoff's sac fly in the bottom of the frame tied things back up, but California pushed across a run in the second and third innings as well to take a lead it would not relinquish. Trailing 4-1 heading to the seventh, the Braves put together a rally and scored a pair of runs on Cloninger's two-out single to centerfield, but Holly Berry flied out with two on minutes later to end the game.

Cloninger and Karlee Wilson were both selected to the UNCP Invitational All-Tournament Team as Clonginer notched a .350 batting average with seven hits including a homer and triple as well as two runs and six RBI. Wilson finished the tournament hitting .357 with five hits, three runs and one RBI.

The Braves will be back in action again on Saturday when they trek up U.S. 74 to battle region nemesis Wingate (4-2) in a 1 p.m. doubleheader at the WU Softball Complex.

All-Tournament Team
Lindsay Reicoff - Cal (Pa.)
Alex Sagl - Cal (Pa.)
Becca Gleason - Concord
Lacey McDougall - Concord
Taylor Luff  - Francis Marion
Maya Washington - Fayetteville State
Spenser Embler - Fayetteville State
Jackie Hetzler - Kutztown
Colleen Smith - Kutztown
Taylor Clononger - UNC Pembroke
Karlee Wilson - UNC Pembroke