2:00 p.m. - Firestone Stadium, Loser's Bracket Semifinal
#4 Iowa Wesleyan (2-1) - 7, #3 WVU Tech (2-2) - 3
Iowa Wesleyan used a quick two-run lead and eventually extended it to six before capping a 7-3 win over WVU Tech in the loser's bracket of the 2013 USCAA Softball National Championships in Akron, OH.
With the victory, the Tigers advance to the loser's bracket final at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday night at Firestone Stadium where they will face the winner of Carlow/Ave Maria. WVU Tech, who falls to 2-2 on the tournament and was eliminated from championship contention, will play in the fifth place game on Wednesday morning at 10:00 a.m., meets the Carlow/Ave Maria loser.
Iowa Wesleyan received three hits apiece from Tory Beaver and Ashley Mysliwiec, while Haleigh Cowan added two base hits. Mysliwiec had a game-high three RBIs, including a two-run double in the Tigers' four-run fourth inning. Iowa Wesleyan's first run came from an RBI single by Mysliwiec in the bottom of the first, and they would take a 2-0 lead after Beaver singled home a run in the second.
Tigers pitcher Jillian Leutscher shut down the Golden Bears offense through the first four innings, nursing a 2-0 lead before her team exploded for four runs in the fourth. Two singles sandwiched an error to give Iowa Wesleyan a 3-0 advantage before Mysliwiec's double made it 5-0. Dayna Budny's RBI single made it 6-0 before WVU Tech finally escaped the inning.
The Golden Bears got on the board when relief pitcher Taylor Norman drove in a run in the fifth to make it 6-1. Iowa Wesleyan's lone run in the fifth made the score 7-1, while WVU Tech would threaten in each subsequent inning, but Leutscher allowed only one run in each of the last two innings to secure the win. Leutscher struck out six in the complete game performance, scattering eight hits while giving up only two earned runs.
With the win, Iowa Wesleyan keeps their championship hopes alive and can advance to the loser's bracket final with a win at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday night.
