CONWAY, Ark. - Millsaps and Southwestern will face off tomorrow from Warrior Field for the 2010 SCAC Softball Championship. The Majors are returning to the championship for the second time in three years while Southwestern, in just their second year playing softball, makes their inaugural championship appearance.
Millsaps earned its trip to the title game after crusing through the winner's bracket out scoring their opponets 14-2. Today the Majors defeated #12 DePauw 8-2 getting another solid performance from the plate from freshman Emily Spicer. Spicer was 3-for-4 on the day with three RBIs and two runs scored.
Senior Kasey Thibodeaux picked up her second win of the tournament pitching seven strong innings scattering just six hits and striking out four tigers.
The win was the first for Millsaps over DePauw since 2006 and snapped a 19 game winning streak for the Tigers including a seven game SCAC Tournament winning streak dating back to 2008.
Southwestern advances to their first ever title game grinding out three wins on the day defeating Rhodes, Trinity and DePauw in Saturday's nightcap.
The Pirates win over Rhodes was one of dramatic fashion. Southwestern was down to their final three outs trailing Rhodes 4-1 scratched across three runs to tie the game at four sending the elimination game into extra innings. In what turned out to be the longest game in SCAC Tournament history, Katelyn Gola singled in the bottom of the 11th to score Amanda Ambrose for a 5-4 victory eliminating the Lynx.
Gola was the hero again in their seocnd win of the day acounting for both runs in the Pirates 2-0 shutout win over Trinity to advance to the losers bracket semi-finals game. The third baseman doubled down the left field line scoring Taylor Blair. Gola later scored in the same inning as Haley Hughes knocked an RBI double down the left field line.
In the final game of the night for the Pirates, Southwestern defeated #12 DePauw 3-2 thanks to a brilliant outing in the circle from sophomore Lyndsy Maus. Maus pitched a complete game scattering just five hits allowing two runs and striking out four DU Tigers. Gola quitely delieverd another solid game for the Pirates scoring another run, driving in another run and played exceptional defense with five assists from the hot corner at third. The win marked the first ever for Southwestern over DePauw and sent the Pirates into the SCAC Championship game agaisnt Millsaps.
Millsaps and Southwestern are set to square off tomorrow at noon CST from Warrior Field on the campus of Hendrix College. In this double elimination format Southwestern will need to defeat Millsaps twice in order to claim the title and the conferences AQ into the NCAA Tournament. The "if necessary" game is scheleduled for 2 PM CST.
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