Wallace State got three runs in the fourth and four runs in the fifth to rally back and knock off Daytona Beach 9-4 to claim the 2005 NFCA Junior College Leadoff Classic Gold Championship Sunday in LaGrange, Ga. 

Daytona Beach jumped on top 1-0 via an Amy Higgs single that scored Shannon LaMontagne. Wallace answered back in the home half of the inning behind a two-out home run by tournament MVP Brittany Bearden and a two-RBI triple from Ashley Elmore. 

Daytona Beach evened the tilt in the fifth as a single from Jennifer Boldman led to a two-run home run from Savannah Filley. 

The lead wouldn’t last long, as the Lions roared back to take the lead for good in the bottom half of the inning. Samantha Landman started the run-producing frame with a leadoff single. Following an error that allowed Rachel Fleming to reach, Shannon Rozof doubled to plate Landman. Tara Fair continued the offensive production in the frame with a single that scored Fleming, and Bearden, who went 2-for-4 with four RBIs, launched her second round-tripper of the day, a two-run shot, that put the Lions up for good at 7-3. 

Bearden and Rozof plated two additional runs via a single and double respectively. 

Indian River scored five runs in the bottom of the second and held on behind the pitching of Jessica Mendenhall to knock off Chattanooga State 5-2 in the championship game of the Silver bracket. 

Amanda Cox started the five-run frame for the Lady Pioneers as she delivered a one-out single. Most of the damage would be done with two outs, as three straight singles set up a grand slam off the bat of Mendenhall. 

Mendenhall went six innings, giving up two runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts in the winning effort. 

Florida Community College-Jacksonville broke a 1-1 tie with a run in the fourth and fifth innings to take the Bronze bracket title with a 3-1 win over Navarro Community College. 

Navarro’s Dani Smith led off the game with a single and she later scored on a passed ball to put the Bulldogs on top 1-0. 

FCCJ tied the game in the bottom of the first as Pat Melo led off with a single and later scored on a Cori Rascati ground out. 

Nicci Ward held off Navarro the rest of the way as she picked up the win with a one run, four-hit performance. 

The Stars offense helped Ward to the win in the fourth as Lauren Winney drove home Ashley Forsyth, who reached on a error to leadoff the frame. They added an additional run on Forsyth’s fly out to center field that scored Crystal Bullock. 

Gulf Coast used five runs in the fifth and home runs by Anadys Suarez and Tiffany DePriest to fight off Blinn and take the Gold bracket consolation. 

Megan Toth singled in the game-winning run in the eighth inning as Georgia Perimeter rallied from a two-run deficit to knock off Tallahassee 3-2 and take third place in the Silver bracket. 

Illinois Central scored two runs in the fifth, and Erin McEldowney worked out of a one out, bases loaded jam in the seventh to knock off Alvin 2-1 and take the Bronze consolation final.