SEGUIN, Texas – The University of Redlands softball team (43-6) needed two wins Friday afternoon to win the NCAA Super Regional title, while their opponents Texas Lutheran University (TLU) needed just one, and thanks to dominant pitching in game one and a five-run outburst in game two, Redlands was able to take both games and the series, 2-1 advancing them to the NCAA Division III Women's College World Series.
Game 1 (W, 3-1)
Redlands fell behind 1-0 after an RBI single from TLU in the top of the first inning. Natalie Lowthers (Wrightwood, CA), though, came back with an RBI groundout that plated Leila Gomez to tie the game.
After four scoreless innings, Avery Duran (Corona, CA) began the fifth with a pinch-hit single with pinch runner Kayla Jackson (Bishop, CA) then stealing second. Brooklyn Bard (Long Beach, CA) followed with a single that advanced Jackson to third with no outs.
With Gomez at bat, Bard stole second. Gomez then hit a ball to right which allowed Jackson to score for what became the game-winning run. Katlyn Gandara (Whittier, CA) then took advantage of another runner at third with less than two outs situation as Bard scored on her sacrifice fly.
In the top of the sixth Caitlynn Griffith (Pala, CA) worked around a walk and runner in scoring position situation with a strikeout to end the frame.
In the seventh TLU had a two-out single, but Griffith got a flyout to Jenay Scott (Merced, CA) in center to secure the game and force a decisive second game of the day and third game of the best-of-three series.
Paige Ellinger (Temecula, CA) got the start just like she did in game one of championship Saturday last week at the Wartburg College Regional. She delivered 3.2 innings with only one earned run allowed. Griffith threw the final 3.1 innings.
Game 2 (W, 5-4)
In the winner-take-all final game Redlands used a five-run third inning to secure the super regional title.
TLU took a 1-0 lead in the first on an infield RBI single. After a scoreless second, Gandara drove in Avery Provenzano (San Jose, CA) with a single. Lowthers then had the big hit with a grand slam that extended the lead to 5-1 as Bard, Gomez, and Gandara all trotted around.
TLU did cut the deficit to three with an RBI single in the bottom of the third. A double steal, including one of home, made it 5-3 after six frames.
Then in the seventh an error and single put two on with no outs. A stolen base of second put the tying runner in scoring position. Once again, though, Griffith got out of trouble, inducing a foul out sacrifice fly before a pair of pop ups to Provenzano at second to secure the save and win.
Bard had two hits with Lowthers and Scott having five combined from their four-five spots in the lineup.
Gandara got the win after 5.2 innings with two earned runs allowed. Griffith got the save, throwing the final 1.1 innings.
With the win the Bulldogs advance to the NCAA Division III Women's College World Series (WCWS) in Virginia next week, making their second straight trip to the final eight. Full details regarding the WCWS will be added to goredlands.com once available.
