The seventh-ranked Case Western Reserve University softball team moved within one win of the NCAA Division III Softball Championship Finals, defeating Coe College 8-5 in the first game of the Cleveland Super Regional on Thursday held at Mather Park in Cleveland.
The Spartans, who now lead the best-of-three series 1-0, improved to 39-7 on the season. The 39 wins mark a new program record for a single season, besting the previous high of 38 wins set during the 2018 and 2023 seasons. The Kohawks dropped to 34-10 overall.
The two teams will resume their series tomorrow at 1 p.m. A third game, if necessary, is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. or 45 minutes following the conclusion of game two.
First-year Karen Potts collected two hits and drove in the game-tying and go-ahead runs. Senior Stevie Rieger led the team with three runs batted in, and junior Isabella Russo had her ninth multi-hit game of the season, going two-for-four with an RBI.
Coe started the contest with a run in the first inning, scoring on a one-out double.
CWRU responded with a run in the bottom of the frame. Rieger worked a one-out walk and was replaced by senior KaiLi Gross after a fielder's choice. Gross scored on a two-out double down the right field line by Russo, tying the score at one.
After a scoreless top of the second inning, junior Katelyn Lamm led off the bottom of the frame with a home run to give Case Western Reserve a 2-1 lead. The homer was the third of the season for Lamm and her first of the postseason.
Following a scoreless third inning, the Kohawks tied the score in the fourth inning on a two-out double. The Spartans responded with a three-run bottom half of the stanza to take a 5-2 advantage. With two runners in scoring position and two outs, Potts drove in a run with an infield single. Rieger followed with a two-run single to bring in a pair of runs.
With two outs in the fifth, Coe loaded the bases with a single and a pair of walks. A walk brought in a run, cutting the deficit to two, but junior pitcher Lexi Miskey induced a groundout to limit the damage. However, the Kohawks tied the score in the sixth inning with a pair of run-scoring hits.
Junior Elizabeth Berry led off the bottom half with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. First-year Nylah Durham followed with a single to put runners on the corners, and Potts drove in the go-ahead run with a single. Durham scored a key insurance run on a sacrifice fly by Rieger, increasing the lead to two. A third run scored on an error, making the score 8-5 heading into the last inning.
Miskey retired the side in order in the seventh inning, sealing the win for the Spartans. The junior hurler allowed five runs on seven hits while striking out seven. She improved to 25-4 on the season.
