Gusties after claiming their third place trophy at the NCAA Championship.

Head Coach Jeff Annis (left), with assistants Kyhl Thomson (middle), and Mark Wiest (right).

The Gustavus softball team will be featured on the NCAA Spring Championship Show, which will air this Saturday, July 4 at 1 pm (Central Time) on CBS Television (which is WCCO or KEYC in southern Minnesota). The Gusties made an impressive run in the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament finishing third, which is the best finish in the program’s history. Coach Jeff Annis and his squad, the MIAC regular season champions at 21-1, finished with an overall mark of 42-9.

Four Gustavus players were named to the NCAA Finals All Tournament Team. That group included senior shortstop Rachael Click, junior third baseman Andrea Brown, sophomore first baseman Emily Wendorff and junior left fielder Kirsten Prunty.

The Gustavus coaching staff, which is made up of head coach Jeff Annis, and assistant coaches Mark Wiest and Kyhl Thomson, was named the Central Region Coaching Staff of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).

Rachael Click

Click celebrated with the team after winning the MIAC title.

Click hit a school record 16 home runs this season.

Gustavus senior shortstop Rachael Click has been selected to the First Team of the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America softball squad. This is the third consecutive year that Click has been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team and second consecutive year she has been a first team selection. Click, the MIAC Player of the Year and a NFCA Second Team All-America honoree, maintains a 3.91 gpa with a major in elementary education.

Click guided the Gusties to the most successful season in the program’s history as the team won the MIAC title with a record of 21-1 and posted a mark of 42-9 overall winning the NCAA Indianola Regional and finishing third at the NCAA Championships. She led the team in virtually every hitting category including batting average (.456), slugging percentage (.934), on-base percentage (.541), hits (62), RBI (53), and home runs (16). Click was the catalyst for Gustavus in the NCAA Tournament as she hit .416 with 10 hits in 24 at-bats (including two home runs and three doubles), scored 12 runs and drove in 10 runs. She was named to the Indianola Regional All-Tournament Team and the NCAA Championship Finals All-Tournament Team.

Click was a four-time All-Conference selection and a three-time All-Region honoree. She holds many Gustavus career records including games played (169), home runs (35), runs batted in (179), and slugging percentage (.835). Her career home run total of 35 ranks third all-time in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) history.

Click becomes the 76th Gustavus student athlete to be named to a CoSIDA Academic All-America team. She is the fifth Gustavus softball player to be honored following Laurie Voit (1987, 1988), Barb Jaeger (1988), Mindy Mayerchak (1988), and Christina Diller (2003). Gustavus ranks ninth among all Division III institutions in number of CoSIDA Academic All-Americans (76). Last year, the Gusties tied for the fourth highest number of Academic All-Americans among Division I, II, and III institutions with eight. Click becomes only the third student athlete at Gustavus to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors three times following gymnast Amanda Parker (2003, 2004, 2005) and baseball player Ben Sherer (2004, 2005, 2006).

The CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® program honors male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA, the College Sports Information Directors of America; a 2,000-member organization consisting of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.

CoSIDA Academic All-America Softball Team Release

Team posing with third place trophy

Seniors Jessie Gabbert, Rachael Click, and Emily Klein with trophy.

Catcher Dani Cattrysse tries unsuccessfully to tag a Coe player out at the plate in the first inning.

Click, Wendorff, Brown, and Prunty pictured with the rest of the NCAA All-Tournament Team

The Gustavus Adolphus College softball team saw its dream season come to an end after a 4-2 loss to Coe College on Monday afternoon in Montclair, New Jersey. The Kohawks scored a pair of runs in the late innings to break a 2-2 tie to grab a 4-2 lead. However, the Gusties had runners in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh, but were unable to record key hits to move them around. Gustavus, which received the third place trophy, finished the season with the program’s first 40-win campaign at 42-9.

Coe got out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning when the Kohawks recorded three hits, including a two-out RBI double from Sonja Schwenker. The Gusties answered back with a run in their part of the frame when Emily Wendorff drove in Jenny Ewert from second base to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Senior Emily Klein single-handedly tied the game for Gustavus in the third inning after ripping a single up the middle of the infield. Klein stole second and third base before advancing home after a throwing error by the Coe catcher, who was trying to throw Klein out at third.

The teams remained tied at 2-2 until the top of the fifth as Katherine King delivered a RBI-single through the left side of the infield to put the Kohawks ahead 3-2. Coe made it a two-run game during its’ next at-bat when Mackenzie Lang hit a double that drove in Schwenker, who started the inning with a single, for a 4-2 advantage.

Gustavus mounted a final rally in the bottom of the seventh when Andrea Brown hit a single to center field followed by a four-pitch walk to Jenna Johnson to give the Gusties base runners on first and second with one out. After a strikeout, Kelly Myers drew the second walk of the inning to keep Gustavus alive with the bases loaded. Emily Klein blooped a pop fly into shallow right field, but the Coe second baseman was there to make the catch and end the game.

Junior Betsie Collins suffered the loss as she gave up nine hits and allowed three runs in five innings. Sophomore Erin Truebenbach worked two innings, giving up three hits and one run.

Four Gusties were named to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team based on their play during the weekend. Honorees included senior shortstop Rachael Click (Rochester, Minn.), junior third baseman Andrea Brown (Willmar, Minn.), sophomore first baseman Emily Wendorff (Lakeville, Minn.), and sophomore leftfielder Kirsten Prunty (New Ulm, Minn.).

Box Score

Kirsten Prunty celebrates after hitting a three-run home run in the first inning.

Head Coach Jeff Annis has directed the Gusties to a school record 41 wins this season.

Emily Klein steals second base in the fourth inning.

Andrea Brown steps on home plate after hitting a three-run home run in the sixth inning.

The Gustavus softball team stayed alive at the Division III World Series with a 10-4 win over Salisbury State University of Maryland on Sunday afternoon in Montclair, New Jersey. The Gusties will now play Tufts University on Sunday evening at 7:30 pm (EST). The tournament field, which started with eight teams, has now been paired down to four. The winner of the Gustavus/Tufts game will play Coe College on Monday at noon (EST) for the chance to play Messiah for the Division III Championship.

Salisbury got off to a quick start scoring three times in the top of the first inning, but the Gusties answered with five runs of their own in the bottom of the first. Emily Klein reached on an error to open the game and then Jenny Ewert reached on an infield single as Klein aggressively took third on the throw to first. Rachael Click stepped up and singled up the middle driving in Klein. Emily Wendorff followed with a single driving in Ewert. With two outs and runners on second and third, sophomore Kirsten Prunty stroked a three-run home run over the left centerfield fence to give the Gusties a 5-3 lead. It was Prunty’s second home run of the World Series as she hit a two-run blast to the exact same spot against Texas-Tyler.

Betsie Collins entered the game on the mound in the second inning in relief of Callie Nelsen, who pitched the first inning. Collins quickly put the Sea Gulls down in order. In the bottom of the second, Jenny Ewert reached on an error and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Rachael Click then ripped a double to straight away centerfield, which scored Ewert giving the Gusties a 6-3 lead. Salisbury scored a run in the top of the third to cut the lead to 6-4.

The score remained 6-4 in favor of Gustavus until the bottom of the sixth inning, when the Gusties added four more runs to make the score 10-4. The big blow in the inning was a three-run home run by Andrea Brown.

Gustavus registered nine nits in the game and scored double-digit runs for the fourth time in their seven NCAA Tournament games.

Betsie Collins was the winning pitcher for Gustavus. She allowed five hits and one earned run, while striking out three and walking one in six innings of work. Collins is now 14-3 on the season.

Gustavus improved to 41-8 on the season, while Salisbury State wrapped up a very successful 2009 campaign with a mark of 40-7.

NCAA Championships Site

Erin Truebenbach turned in a very strong performance against Tufts.

The Gusties celebrate after closing out the 5-0 win.

Andrea Brown made several superb stops at third base against Tufts.

The Gustavus Adolphus College softball team continued its impressive run in the Division III College World Series with a 5-0 win over Tufts University on Sunday evening in Montclair, New Jersey. The Gusties, who improved to 42-8 on the season, will play Coe College on Monday afternoon at 12:00 pm (EST) with the winner getting a chance to take on Messiah College at 2:30 for the national championship. The Gustavus/Coe winner would need to beat Messiah twice to claim the national title.

The Gusties, who were knocked into the loser’s bracket after a 2-0 loss to Messiah College on Saturday afternoon, picked up two impressive wins on Sunday defeating Salisbury State 10-4 in the first game of the day and then knocking off Tufts University 5-0 in the final game of the day under the lights at Montclair Softball Stadium.

Gustavus took a 1-0 lead in the first when Emily Klein singled, stole second base, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Jenny Ewert, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Rachael Click. The Gusties broke the game open in the fifth when Rachael Click stroked a two-out double to centerfield driving in two runs. Click eventually rounded the bases and scored the third run when the throw from the outfield got by the catcher. Gustavus added an insurance run in the sixth inning and claimed the 5-0 victory.

Sophomore Erin Truebenbach tossed a gem for the Gusties as she pitched a complete game shutout allowing just three hits, while striking out four and not walking a batter. Truebenbach improved to 16-4 on the season.

NCAA Championships Web Site

Rachael Click registered the only two hits for Gustavus against Messiah

The Gustavus softball team saw its streak of five consecutive NCAA Tournament wins come to an end with a 2-0 loss to Messiah College on Saturday afternoon at the NCAA Division III World Series in Montclair, New Jersey. The Gusties will now try to fight their way back to the finals through the loser’s bracket starting with a game against Salisbury State of Maryland on Sunday, May 17 at 12:00 pm (EST). The Gusties were not able to muster much of any offense in the game against Messiah’s standout freshman pitcher Jessica Rhoads who allowed only two hits and struck out 11. Tufts scored twice in the first inning and that is all it would need to slip past Gustavus 2-0. Erin Truebenbach suffered the loss on the mound for the Gusties as she scattered seven hits and allowed two earned runs.

Gustavus was not ever able to find an answer for Messiah hurler Rhoads who allowed only two hits, both of which were recorded by Gustie senior shortstop Rachael Click. Click knocked a single to left field in the first inning and then looped another single just over the shortstop’s head in the seventh inning. Gustavus was not ever able to advance a runner past first base in the contest. The Gusties did manage to hit a couple balls hard to Messiah third baseman Lindsay Hall, but both times Hall came with a sterling defensive play to register an infield out.

Messiah got off to a quick start in the game as Abi Buchler singled to right field and then Rebekkah Funk put down a swinging bunt that dribbled down the first base line for a hit. Jaclyn Merkel laid down a sacrifice bunt that advanced Buchler to third and Funk to second and then pitcher Rhoads helped her own cause with a sharp single to right centerfield that drove in both runners and gave the Falcons a 2-0 lead.

Gustavus would not be able to get another runner on base until Click’s seventh inning single. Messiah picked up two hits in both the fourth and sixth innings, however Truebenbach kept the Jumbos from scoring in either inning.

Gustavus drops to to 40-8 on the season, while Messiah improves to 41-4.

NCAA Championships Web Site

The Gusties claimed their 40th win of the season by defeating UT-Tyler.

The Gustavus softball team scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and defeated the University of Texas at Tyler 5-1 in the first game of the NCAA Division III World Series in Montclair, New Jersey on Friday morning. Emily Wendorff started the sixth inning rally with a single that drove in two runs and then Kirsten Prunty hit a two-run home run with two outs to close out the inning. Betsie Collins was the winning pitcher as she allowed only one run in six innings of work. Erin Truebenbach pitched the seventh inning in relief of Collins. The Gusties, who are now 40-7, will face the winner of the Ohio Northern/Messiah game on Saturday at 4 pm (EST).

The Gusties got off to a slow start in the game registering only one hit in the first four innings of the game, however the team stayed in the game with pitching and defense. UT-Tyler advanced a runner to second base in each of the first four innings. Gustavus came up with a big defensive play in the third inning when Kirsten Prunty fielded a single in left field and fired a relay to Rachael Click who threw out a Patriot runner at the plate on a nice tag by catcher Dani Cattrysse to end the inning.

Texas-Tyler took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning when Roo Richardson walked, was sacrificed to second base and then scored on a double by Whitney Wyly. The Patriots mounted another threat in the sixth inning when they loaded the bases with two outs before Betsie Collins got out of the jam by striking out UT-Tyler’s leadoff hitter Roo Richardson to end the inning.

In the Gusties big sixth inning, Emily Klein led off with a double to straight away center field. Klein broke for third on an infield ground ball by Jenny Ewert and Patriot shortstop Amanda Busby decided to try to tag Klein and missed. Ewert kept running and advanced to second. Rachael Click was hit by a pitch to load the bases and then Emily Wendorff singled to left field scoring Klein. The ball skipped past leftfielder Roo Richardson and Ewert scored from second base to give Gustavus a 2-1 lead. Andrea Brown hit a fly ball to right field that scored Click from third base. Jenna Johnson reached on a fielder’s choice when Emily Wendorff was thrown out at home. With two outs, Kirsten Prunty stepped to the plate and drove a 2-1 pitch over the left centerfield fence extending the Gustavus lead to 5-1.

Erin Truebenbach entered the game in relief of Betsie Collins on the mound to close out the game for Gustavus.

The Gusties only managed five hits in the game, but they bunched three of those hits together in the fifth inning and made the most of their limited offense. Emily Wendorff registered two of the Gusties’ five hits.

The win gave the Gusties their 40th win of the season, something that had not ever been done in the 41-year history of the program.

Box Score

NCAA Championship Web Site

NCAA Championships Web Site

GAME NOTES:

Gusties Will Face UT-Tyler To Kick Off Division III Softball World Series
Gustavus advanced to this year’s Championship Finals by winning the Indianola, Iowa Regional with a 4-0 record. The Gusties defeated Central 11-4 on Day Two, followed by a 5-3 win over Luther on Day Two. Gustavus closed out the tournament with 14-6 (on Day Three) and 11-1 (on Day Four) wins against Webster University. UT-Tyler won the Marshall, Texas Regional with a record of 4-0 as well. The Patriots defeated Redlands 2-1, top-ranked Linfield 3-2, East Texas Baptist 1-0, and clinched a berth in the championship finals with an eight-inning, 5-4 win over Linfield. Gustavus enters the weekend with an overall record of 39-7, while UT-Tyler is 38-8. The winner of the Gustavus/UT-Tyler contest will play the winner of Messiah/Ohio Northern on Saturday at 4 p.m. EST. The losers of each contest would meet on Saturday at 11 a.m. EST.

Scouting the Patriots
UT-Tyler, the fourth-ranked team in Division III in the poll released by NFCA on May 6, received an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament by virtue of winning a head-to-head result tiebreaker with Louisana College after the championship game was rained out. Since being swept by East Texas Baptist (1-2, 9-14) on April 14, the Patriots have gone 12-2 with both losses coming to Louisiana College by a combined score of 13-0. UT-Tyler is led by American Southwest Conference East Division Player of the Year left fielder Megan ‘Roo Richardson, who has compiled a .409 batting average with 59 runs scored, 12 home runs, and 37 walks. Richardson is joined in the outfield by fellow all-region right fielder Whitney Wyly and center fielder Julie Smith. Wyly leads the Patriots with 17 home runs and 74 RBI, while Smith is first on the team with a .413 batting average and 14 stolen bases. This is the second appearance in the NCAA Tournament for UT-Tyler, which lost to La Verne 3-1 in the first round last year before falling to Mary-Hardin Baylor 5-3 to finish third.

The Series
This will be the first ever meeting between the two squads.

Gustavus in the NCAA Tournament:
This is the Gusties’ third appearance in the NCAA Softball Tournament. Gustavus has compiled a record of 6-4 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. The game-by-game results are: 2003 — Waverly, Iowa Regional — Game 1: Gustavus 10, Clarke 2, Game 2: Lake Forest 2, Gustavus 1 (9 inn.), Game 3: Wartburg 1, Gustavus 0 (10 inn.); 2007 — Decorah, Iowa Regional — Game 1: Luther 2, Gustavus 1, Game 2: Gustavus 5, UW-Stevens Point 3, Game 3: Wartburg 8, Gustavus 1; 2009 — Indianola, Iowa Regional — Game 1: Gustavus 11, Central 1, Game 2: Gustavus 5, Luther 3, Game 3: Gustavus 14, Webster 6 (5 inn.), Game 4: Gustavus 11, Webster (5 inn.).

Team Notes:
The 39 wins recorded this season are the most wins in a season in program history. The previous single-season mark was 32 in 2007.

Four Gusties were named to the Midwest Region All-Tournament Team including shortstop Rachael Click, centerfielder Emily Klein, first baseman Emily Wendorff, and second baseman Lisa Klass.

Gustavus is ranked in the top 15 in four offensive categories in Division III, including ninth in slugging percentage (0.559), 12th in home runs per game (0.88), 13th in doubles per game (1.9), and 14th in triples per game (0.5).

Rachael Click (48), Emily Klein (38), and Lisa Klass (39) have combined to drive in 125 runs this season, which accounts for 43.9 percent of the team’s total of 285.

The Gusties like to score early in contests as 248 of their 327 runs scored (75.8 percent) have come in the first four innings of their games.

Gustavus is the only team in collegiate softball, Division I, II, or III, to have three pitchers on the staff with ten or more victories. Erin Truebenbach leads the team with 15 wins, followed by Betsie Collins and Callie Nelsen with 12 wins each. The three pitchers have also combined to set a single-season team record of 300
strikeouts.

The Gusties are 22-2 when scoring in the first inning this season and 1-4 when the opposing team scores in the opening frame.

Five players on the roster also compete in another varsity sport at Gustavus. Emily Klein and Jenny Ewert are members of the volleyball team, which made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1986. Kirsten Prunty, Ava Perry, and Carrie Johnson are also members of the women’s basketball team.

During Jeff Annis’s four-year tenure as head coach, the Gusties have compiled 30 wins in each season. These are the only 30-win campaigns in program history.

Gustavus is 35-0 when its opponents score three runs or less and 35-1 when leading after four innings.

The Gustie offense has set five new single-season statistical records, including runs (327), hits (421), home runs (44), and RBI (285). Three of the previous marks were established in 2007 as the team scored 268 runs, recorded 356 hits, and posted 37 home runs, while the prior record of 241 RBI was reached last year.

Gustavus has compiled a record of 619-404-3 (.604) in its 41-year history of softball.

Individual Notes:

Senior shortstop Rachael Click (Rochester, Minn.) ranks second in the nation in slugging percentage at 0.964 this season after finishing the 2008 season ranked at 1.055. Click was named the 2009 MIAC Player of the Year after winning the league batting title with a .529 average. She also finished first in slugging percentage (1.216), on-base percentage (.594), RBI (27), home runs (10), an total bases (62). Click set the school record for home runs in a season with 16 and became only the third player in MIAC history to hit 30 home runs (35) in a career.

Senior centerfielder Emily Klein (Red Wing, Minn.) is the all-time stolen base leader at Gustavus with 77 stolen bases on 82 attempts. She drove in the game-winning run with a two-out single in the bottom of the eighth inning to defeat Hamline 5-4 to help the Gusties advance to the MIAC Post-Season Championship game.

First year second baseman Lisa Klass (Richfield, Minn.) was the only rookie to be named to the
All-MIAC squad this season and was recognized as the MIAC Rookie of the Year. Klass was the individual hitting star for the Gusties during the Indianola, Iowa Regional as she went 7-for-11 (.636) at the plate in the four games with five runs scored and nine runs batted in.

In addition, junior pitcher Betsie Collins and sophomore first baseman Emily Wendorff received honorable mention All-Conference honors and junior outfielder Sheila Arnold was named to All-Sportsmanship Team.

The Gusties won the MIAC Regular Season title with a record of 21-1 and then finished second in the MIAC Post-Season Tournament. Gustavus went on to win the NCAA Regional Tournament in Indianola, Iowa last weekend, and are taking part in the NCAA Championship Finals in Montclair, New Jersey this weekend. The Gusties have compiled an overall record of 39-7.

Rachael Click is the second player in the history of the program to be named MIAC Player of the Year following Molly Biehn who received the honor in 2003. Click, a four-time All-Conference performer, led the league in the majority of the offensive categories including batting average (.529), slugging (1.216), on-base percentage (.594), RBI (27), home runs (10), and total bases (62). She set the school record for home runs in a season with 16 and became only the third player in MIAC history to hit 30 home runs (35) in a career. Click is only the third player in the program’s history to earn All-Conference honors four times in her career.

Emily Klein, a centerfielder from Red Wing, Minn., hit .369 for the Gusties and led the team in runs scored with 48. She stole 25 bases in 26 attempts and moved into first place on the Gustavus career steals list with 77. Klein was second on the team in home runs with 10 and third in RBI with 38. She was named MIAC Player of the Week on March 30 and April 6. Klein was also an All-Conference selection last year (2008).

Lisa Klass, a Richfield, Minn. native, was the only first year player selected to the All-Conference team. She compiled a .417 batting average and scored 31 runs while starting 46 games for the Gusties. Klass ranks second on the team with 39 RBI and second in doubles with 13. She is the Gustavus player in the last four years to earn MIAC Rookie of the Year honors following Rachael Click who was honored in 2006.

Erin Truebenbach, a Mankato, Minn. native, was the anchor of a strong Gustavus pitching staff as she compiled a record of 15-3 overall with 15 complete games. She compiled a 1.53 ERA, while striking out 127 batters in 119 innings of work. She was the MIAC Pitcher of the Week on April 20.

Head Coach Jeff Annis continued to build the Gustavus softball team into one of the finest program’s in the country. He has now directed the Gusties to four consecutive 30-win seasons and has compiled a career mark of 132-34. His squad compiled a league mark of 21-1 in 2009, leading the conference in pitching (0.99 ERA), tying for first in fielding (.974) and finishing second in hitting (.354).

Betsie Collins, a junior pitcher from Waseca, Minn., and Emily Wendorff, a sophomore from Prior Lake, Minn., both received honorable mention honors. Collins was compiled an overall pitching record of 12-3 with a 1.76 ERA in 91 innings. Wendorff started 43 of the team’s 46 games at first base and hit for a .331 average. She hit six home home runs, scored 33 runs, and drove in 26 runs.

As part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC announced the third annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for softball. Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition. Junior outfielder Sheila Arnold (Grand Rapids, Minn.) was selected by her teammates for the Sportsmanship Awared.

MIAC Softball Awards Release

2009 NCAA Division III Championship Finals in Montclair, New Jersey

The Gusties are the 2009 NCAA Midwest Regional Champions

Lisa Klass smiles as she heads for third base after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning.

The Gustavus softball team defeated Webster University 11-1 in five innings on Sunday afternoon to win the NCAA Midwest Regional and advance to the Division III Finals for the first time in the program’s history. The Gusties (39-7) will now face the Univ. of Texas-Tyler on Friday, May 15 at 11 am (EST).

The Gusties, who were seeded seventh at the regional, did not lose a game and outscored their opponents 41-14 on their way to a 4-0 mark.

The offense continued to shine on Sunday as Gustavus registered eight hits and scored double-digit runs for the third time in four games. First year second baseman Lisa Klass led the team at the plate as she went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and two RBI. She drove in two runs with a single in the fourth inning and two more with a home run in the fifth inning.

The Gusties led 1-0 after three innings and then exploded for seven runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth to claim the 11-1 win in five innings. The big blows in the seven-run fourth inning included a bases-loaded double by Dani Cattrysse and a bases-loaded single by Lisa Klass. In the fifth inning, Gustavus got a two-run home run from Lisa Klass, while Raquel Davis drove in the other run with a fielder’s choice.

On the mound, Betsie Collins never allowed Webster to get in the game as she limited the Gorloks to two hits and one run, while striking out four and walking five.

Four Gustavus players were named to the All Tournament Team including senior shortstop Rachael Click, senior outfielder Emily Klein, sophomore first baseman Emily Wendorff, and first year second baseman Lisa Klass.

Joining Gustavus at the 2009 NCAA Division III Softball Elite Eight will be the University of Texas-Tyler (38-8), Coe College (38-11), Salisbury State (39-5), Cortland State (44-7), Tufts (42-1), Messiah (39-4), and Ohio Northern (39-4). The tournament will be hosted by Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey.

Box Score

NCAA Championship Site