EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Softball scored three times in the top of the seventh inning to rally past No. 21 Grand Valley State University, 3-2, and punch its ticket to the NCAA Division II Softball Championship next week in Denver, Colorado.
The No. 10 and top-seeded Screaming Eagles trailed 2-0 with two outs and no runners on base when senior third baseman
Mary Bean (Schaumburg, Illinois) drew a four-pitch walk. Sophomore outfielder
Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana) singled to the gap in left-centerfield in the next at bat and ended up at second on a throw attempt to get Bean out at third.
Freshman outfielder
Kennedy Nalley (Huntingburg, Indiana) followed with a bloop single that landed about an inch in front of the glove of GVSU leftfielder Kaitlin Lynch as both Bean and Bedrick scored to tie the score at 2-2.
Sophomore first baseman
Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) was hit by a pitch in the next at-bat and freshman pitcher
Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana), who was in the game in relief of junior hurler
Allie Goodin (Evansville, Indiana), reached on an error in the next at bat as USI had the bases loaded for senior designated player
Katie Back (Indianapolis, Indiana).
Back, who had the game-winning hit against the University of Indianapolis in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament two weeks ago, hit the first pitch she saw through the left side of the infield to score Nalley and give the Eagles the 3-2 lead.
Newman (17-3), who came on in the sixth to get the Eagles out of a jam, retired three straight batters in the bottom of the seventh to secure USI's third NCAA II Midwest Region title in program history and its first since 2018. Newman got the win after holding the Lakers without a hit for 1 2/3 innings of work.
Grand Valley State (43-8) turned a lead-off double in the third inning into a tally and a 1-0 advantage. The No. 3-seeded Lakers scored again in the bottom of the sixth inning as a lead-off single and a one-out single followed by a sacrifice fly led to a two-run cushion.
USI (49-11) was held to just two hits and saw nine straight batters retired before Bean drew the four-pitch walk in the seventh.
The Eagles, who will have to wait to see what the seeding is in the eight-team NCAA II Softball Championship, return to action Thursday, May 26 at a time to be announced.
Notes
• USI has now won three NCAA II Midwest Region Titles (2017, 2018, 2022) and are now 6-0 all-time in the NCAA II Midwest Super Regional.
• The Eagles surpassed the 1998 team for most wins in a single season with their win today. USI, which set a record with 26 GLVC wins, have won six straight and 37 of its last 40 games.
• Fair was hit by a pitch twice Friday. It was the 21st and 22nd times this season that Fair was hit, which respectively tied and passed former USI All-American Marleah Fossett '18 for the most by a USI Softball player in a single season.
