The 25th-ranked Case Western Reserve University softball team advanced to the final game of the 2022 NCAA Division III Softball Championship Regional Round after splitting a pair of games at Mather Park in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday. The Spartans (28-10) fell to #18 Concordia University Wisconsin (36-4) 13-0 in the first game but defeated The College of New Jersey 2-1 in the evening elimination game to stay alive in the tournament.
The Spartans and Falcons will face off again on Sunday at 12 p.m. Concordia needs one win to advance to the Super Regional round, while CWRU needs two wins to advance. If necessary, the decisive Game 7 will begin at approximately 2:30 p.m. TCNJ (28-11) eliminated #13 Roanoke College (30-14) with a 4-2 victory earlier in the day.
For the second straight day, first-year outfielder Isabella Russo drove in both Spartan runs, while adding a stolen base. First-year pitcher Lexi Miskey struck out nine batters in the elimination game, giving her 23 punchouts in the postseason.
Game Three - #18 Concordia (Wis.) 13, #25 CWRU 0
After three scoreless innings, Concordia scored seven runs in the fourth inning and six runs in the fifth inning. The 13-run lead forced an early end to the game by run rule after five innings. The loss forced Case Western Reserve to the losers' bracket, facing a must-win game against TCNJ.
Game Five - #25 CWRU 2, TCNJ 1
Playing in its second consecutive elimination game, The College of New Jersey scored first, taking an early lead on a double in the second inning.
CWRU responded in the bottom of the third inning, taking a 2-1 lead on a double from Russo. Russo hit a pop up in shallow left field that fell in between two fielders, allowing senior infielder Liv Thomas and sophomore outfielder Stevie Rieger to score. In the first game of the tournament, a 2-1 Spartan victory over TCNJ, Russo drove in both CWRU runs.
Two runs would be all Miskey (15-4) would need in the circle. She pitched a complete game, allowing only one run on two hits and two walks, and ended the game with her ninth strikeout. Miskey's 138 strikeouts during the campaign are the sixth most by a CWRU pitcher in a single season. Additionally, she lowered her season earned run average to 1.24, which would be the best in a single season in program history.
Behind the dish, sophomore catcher Jordon Manworren caught two runners stealing and did not allow a stolen base. Rieger and sophomore shortstop KaiLi Gross picked up hits for the Spartans, while sophomore outfielder Kela Jagoda drew a walk.
