12:00 p.m. - Firestone Stadium, Loser's Bracket Final/Third Place Game
#7 Ave Maria University (5-1) - 6, #1 Briarcliffe College (2-2)
Ave Maria faced elimination for their fourth straight game, but managed to stay alive and advance to the national championship game with a 6-2 win over top-seed Briarcliffe on Wednesday afternoon at Firestone Stadium in the loser's bracket final/third place game.
The Gyrenes advance to the championship game of the 2013 USCAA Softball National Championships at 2:00 p.m. against six-seed Lindenwood University-Belleville at Firestone Stadium. The teams meet for the first time this week, as the Lynx are currently 3-0 in the tournament.
Emily Lemin tossed a complete game seven-hitter, allowing two runs while striking out eight to win her third game of the week for the Gyrenes. Her teammates staked her to an early 2-0 lead that would hold throughout, picking up RBI doubles from Jessenia Gonzalez and Janet Holtfreter in the top of the second. Holtfreter finished with two hits and a game-high three RBIs in their sixth game of the week.
Briarcliffe cut the lead to 2-1 with a bases loaded hit batsmen, but two consecutive flyouts ended the inning and the threat. Ave Maria bounced back with another two-run inning, this time in the fourth, as Holtfreter notched a sacrifice fly and Caitlin Constance knocked an RBI single to make it 4-1. That score would remain until the sixth, when the Gyrenes once again pushed across two runs. Holtfreter was part of the action once again, making it 5-1 with an RBI single before an error made it 6-1 in favor of Ave Maria.
Briarcliffe struggled to rally, and despite a leadoff single that turned into a run in the bottom of the seventh, Lemin avoided the big inning to cap her tournament tying best third win of the week. Erika Avery cracked two doubles for Ave Maria, coming around both times to score.
The Bulldogs' Ivette Yi-Santiago took the loss, going 3 1/3 while surrendering four runs on nine hits. The Gyrenes managed two more runs off of reliever Jillian McGovern over 3 2/3, who struck out two.
Ave Maria must win two games in order to win the championship, as Lindenwood-Belleville has yet to lose.
