For the second time in program history, the Case Western Reserve University softball team will be heading to the final round of the NCAA Division III Softball Championship after seventh-ranked CWRU defeated Coe College 8-3 on Friday at Mather Park in Cleveland to sweep the best-of-three Super Regional.
The eight-team championship will be hosted on the campus of East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas, from Thursday, May 30 to Wednesday, June 5. More information will be posted on the CWRU Athletics website when it is known.
The Spartans, who improved to 40-7 with the win, are making a return to the NCAA Finals after their first-ever appearance in 2018. That season, the team placed fifth in the country which was, at the time, the highest-ever national finish for any Spartan team.
Junior pitcher Lexi Miskey was named the Most Outstanding Pitcher of the Super Regional, pitching two complete games with 17 strikeouts. Junior Isabella Russo earned Most Outstanding Player honors, driving in three runs on four hits while scoring once in the two games.
Four Spartans had at least two hits in the second game, including Russo, first-year Karen Potts, senior KaiLi Gross, and senior Kela Jagoda. Gross had her fifth three-hit game of the season, driving in three of the team's eight runs with two doubles.
CWRU, playing as the visiting team, opened the contest with the first five batters reaching base, scoring four runs in the process. Potts was hit by the first pitch of the game, senior Stevie Rieger followed with a single, Gross drove in a run with a single, Russo had a run-scoring single, and junior Katelyn Lamm added a run with a single.
Gross drove in the fifth run of the game for the Spartans with a double in the following frame, setting the program record with her 61st run batted in of the season. The previous record of 60 RBI was set by Annie Wennerberg in 2015. Gross scored on a single by Russo, making the score 6-0.
Coe responded in the same inning, loading the bases with one out. After a strikeout, a walk brought in a run to cut into the deficit. However, Miskey struck out the last batter of the inning to limit the damage.
Miskey (26-4) allowed three runs across seven innings while striking out 10. It was her eighth double-digit strikeout performance this season and second in the postseason. Miskey's ninth strikeout was the 600th of her career, making her the first player in program history to reach the milestone.
Gross put CWRU ahead by six for the second time, driving in Potts with a double in the fourth inning. The first-year infielder had led off the stanza with a single. Following a scoreless fifth inning, Rieger plated a run with a sacrifice fly, increasing the lead to seven.
Coe scored twice in the sixth inning, cutting the deficit to five heading into the final frame. However, the Kohawks went down in order in the final frame, ending their season with a record of 34-11, and beginning the celebration for the Spartans.
