HARTSVILLE, S.C. - Third-seeded Catawba powered past No. 2 seeded Anderson on the strength of five home runs to claim the 2015 South Atlantic Conference Softball Championship by a 7-3 score, Sunday afternoon at Byerly Park.

Catawba (29-15) claimed its' first-ever SAC Championship and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, while Anderson slipped to 39-13 on the season and saw its bid for a second consecutive title fall just shy. The Trojans, who were ranked sixth in the most recent NCAA Southeast Rankings, will learn their postseason fate when the NCAA Tournament selections are officially unveiled on Monday, May 4.

Freshman Cailah Niles, who hit five home runs and drove in nine runs while batting .800 during the tournament, was 1-for-2 with her 22nd homer of the season in the fourth inning. Sophomore Courtney Czentnar also clubbed her sixth home run on the season - a solo shot in the seventh inning. Freshman Carli Hurtado and senior Bri Cason each added singles on the afternoon.

Sophomore Lauren Rudesheim (18-7) absorbed the loss - her first of the tournament after capturing four straight wins on Friday and Saturday. She surrendered three earned runs on three hits - all home runs - in an inning of work. Freshman Chelsea Jones allowed four earned runs on five hits over five innings of relief. She struck out two batters.

The Indians claimed an early 3-0 lead on the strength of three solo home runs in the bottom of the first inning, while adding three more runs on Gina Gerone's second round-tripper of the afternoon in the third inning.

Anderson senior second baseman Jessica Neidigh led off the fourth inning with a walk and two batters later, Niles belted her homer beyond the fence in center field to trim the deficit to 6-2.

Gerone countered for Catawba with her third home run of the contest in the bottom of the sixth inning, with Czentnar rounding out the scoring with a leadoff homer in the top of the seventh frame.