INDIANAPOLIS – The eighth-seeded Trevecca Nazarene University softball team (45-15) advanced to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional #1 Championship round with a 5-1 over fourth-seeded Grand Valley State University (38-11) on Friday. The NCAA Division II Midwest Regional #1 is being played at UIndy's Baumgartner Field.
Trevecca upset the top-seeded University of Indianapolis (50-4), 2-1 in nine innings, in the opening round on Thursday.
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Trevecca will face the winner of the losers bracket at 3 p.m. on Saturday, which turned out to be Grand Valley State after the Lakers beat region host Indianapolis.
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The Lakers and Trojans all-time series is now tied 1-1. The teams played earlier this season with GVSU winning 4-3 at the PFX Spring Games in Clermont, Fla. on March 10th.
The Lakers are an at-large selection to the regional after finishing second in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season.
The Lakers defeated the University of Southern Indiana (35-20), 4-3, in the first game of the regional on Thursday. They scored a run, a walk-off walk, in the bottom of the seventh to avoid extra innings.
The Trojans are on a 11-game win streak and are 18-1 in their last 19 outings.
Trevecca scored a run in the top of the first inning for a 1-0 lead. Ansley Brantley (SR/Kite, Ga.) led off the game drawing a walk, stole second, moved to third on a single from Danielle Tyson (SO/Smithville, Tenn.), and scored on a throwing error by the first baseman.
Trevecca doubled their lead and essentially scored the winning run with a single run in the top of the second. Jordan Griner (SR/Mulberry, Tenn.) opened the second with a double, moved to third on a SAC bunt by Kat Burbrink (SO/Hamilton, Ohio), then scored on a Kaitlin Crumpler (JR/Smyrna, Tenn.) single.
The Trojans provided insurance with a three-run sixth inning. Crumpler opened the sixth with a single and gave way to pinch runner Maddux Reid (FR/Bourbonnais, IL). Brantley and Tyson followed with singles. An out later Shelby Andrews (SR/Dyersburg, Tenn.) hit a SAC fly to score Reid. Caitlyn Hudgins (FR/Springfield, TN) was next and singled to score Brantley and Tyson.
Grand Valley scored a run in the bottom of the seventh.
Haley Fagan (SR/Cornersville, Tenn.) earned the win and is now 36-11, moving into sole possession of third on the season wins list. Fagan allowed two hits and gave up one run with four walks and five strikeouts. Fagan generated 14 ground ball outs and two fly outs.
Danielle Tyson went 3-3 with a run scored. Kaitlin Crumpler was 3-4 with an RBI. Caitlyn Hudgins was 2-4 at the plate with two RBI. Ansley Brantley was 2-3 with two runs scored, a walk, and a stolen base. Jordan Griner went 1-2 with a run scored, a double, and two walks.
Trevecca had 11 hits as a team with two errors.
The NCAA Midwest Regional is broken into a pair of four-team double-elimination tournaments. The Midwest 2 Regional site is in St. Louis.
The Midwest 2 Regional is hosted by second-seeded University of Missouri - St. Louis (52-7). The UMSL Tritons will be joined by GLIAC-champ Wayne State University (46-7), Maryville University – St. Louis (37-14), and Truman State University (30-18).
Each Midwest Regionals will be played simultaneously and are double-elimination tournaments. The winner of each four-team tournament will facing off in a best-of-three series at the NCAA Midwest Super Regional May 11-12. The winner of this series will advance to the NCAA D-II Championships in Denver, Colo., May 17-21.