The Gustavus softball team defeated St. Thomas 6-0 on Saturday in the MIAC Playoffs. Photo courtesy of Matt Higgins - MIAC Assistant Executive Director
Peter, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus softball team took one step closer to earning the MIAC’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament with a 6-0 victory over the University of St. Thomas on Saturday afternoon at the Ona Orth Complex.
Because St. Thomas bounced back with a 5-0 win over Bethel University in the final contest of this afternoon, Gustavus will square off against the Tommies on Sunday, May 3 at 11:00 a.m. If the Gusties win, they move on to the NCAA Tournament. If St. Thomas wins, the two teams will go head-to-head in a rematch at 1:00 p.m. later in the afternoon.
The Gusties earned today’s victory thanks in large part to the pitching effort of senior Sarah Rozell (Lakeville, Minn.). Rozell put together what was perhaps the best outing of her career, shutting out the Tommies for seven complete innings and allowing just one hit. The senior struck out four of the last six batters to improve to 12-6 overall with her third complete-game shutout.
The Gustavus got on the scoreboard early with two runs on four hits in the bottom of the first inning. Kailey Morgan (Sr., Mound, Minn.) singled to score Paige Breneman (Sr., Sherburn, Minn.), and Jena Willis (So., Glacier, Mont.) singled to bring in Morgan.
The Gusties added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth, going up 5-0 with three runs on three hits. Breneman brought in a Rachel Malo (So., Owatonna, Minn.) and Brooke Falk (Sr., Glenwood, Minn.) with a single, and Morgan plated Nosan with a single of her own.
Gustavus brought the game’s scoring to a close with a run in the sixth thanks to a Morgan single that brought in Breneman.
Sarah Rozell one-hit the Tommies to lead Gustavus to a 6-0 win.
Kailey Morgan led the Gusties at the dish by going 3-for-4 with one run and three RBI. Paige Breneman went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI, and Jessica Williams (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) went 2-for-3 with a double.
Kendra Bowe suffered the loss for St. Thomas after giving up two runs on four hits in two outs of the opening inning. Katie Jo Delisle went the majority of the game, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits in five innings.
FROM THE MIAC
Thanks to their victories on Saturday, Gustavus will take on St. Thomas in a No. 3 vs. No. 4 matchup for the MIAC Playoff championship Sunday. The first game will begin at Bethel’s Ona Orth Complex in Arden Hills, Minn., at 11 a.m., with a second game, if needed, following immediately after. The Gusties will need just one win to become the first team other than St. Thomas to win the tournament crown in the 12-year history of the Playoffs, while UST will try to continue its unprecedented run of success.
The winner of the MIAC Softball Playoffs will receive the conference’s automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament. There is live online video broadcast and live stats for each game courtesy of Bethel University Sports Information.
The MIAC has a home page dedicated to the 2015 MIAC Softball Playoffs, containing schedules, links and information on each of the four teams in the field. Throughout the tournament, the page will be updated with scores, stats, updated schedules and more.
Fans can also track the MIAC Playoff action on the MIAC Scoreboard or the MIAC mobile app, which is a free download for both Apple and Android devices. Connect throughout the tournament on social media through the MIAC’s Facebook page or Twitter and Instagram accounts, using the hashtags #MIACSB and #MIACPlayoffs.