DePauw wins Decatur, Ill. softball regional

DECATUR, ILL. - Top-ranked DePauw topped Mount St. Joseph, 9-2, in the NCAA Division III Regional championship game to avenge a 9-1 defeat earlier in the day and advance to the Division III Championship for the fifth time in program history. The Tigers open NCAA Championship play in Salem, Va., on Thursday, May 27, with a 38-3 record. The Lions finished the season at 32-10.

DePauw jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first as Kate Geary reached on an error and Skylar Barnett followed with a two-run homer to right center.

The Lions cut the lead in half in the bottom of the first as Brooke Otto doubled with one out and scored on Casey Bramble’s two-out double.

The Tigers’ Paige Price led off the fourth with a double and moved to third on Drew Bratcher’s sacrifice bunt. Grace Smith followed with an RBI single before Jade Mejia Wick reached on an infield single and Smith moved to third on the play. Alyssa Anderson’s ground out plated Smith before Kelsey Bernhard delivered a double to left center that brought home Mejia Wick and gave DePauw a 5-1 lead.

Maiah Hodge led off the fourth with a double and moved to third when Rachel Gabbard grounded out, but an errant throw to third after the out at first allowed Hodge to come home and trim the Tigers’ lead to 5-2.

DePauw sealed the win in the seventh as Abby Pyburn led off with a walk before Becca St. Germain and Price followed with singles to load the bases. Bratcher cleared the bases with a double to left center. Pinch-runner Yasmin McClellan moved to third on Smith’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Anderson’s single.

The Tigers totaled 12 hits with Price and Smith finishing with two apiece. Otto had two of the Lions’ six hits.

Cami Henry improved to 22-0 as she struck out eight and walked just two, while surrendering just six hits. Kamryn McCool dropped to 14-5.

The win came after the Tigers’ 21-game win streak came to an end earlier in the afternoon at the hands of the Lions. Mount St. Joseph’s Alehia Tucker hit a leadoff homer and the Lions added two in the third and six in the fourth before the Tigers added a single run in the fifth as Bernhard led off with a double and scored when Paige Price reached on a fielder’s choice.

Kaci Finchum had three of the Lions’ 10 hits, while Elizabeth Ivers and Gabbard each had two. Price had two of the Tigers’ seven hits.

Sarah Miller improved to 18-4, while Kersten Brayton dropped to 4-1.

NOTES

Cami Henry was named the Most Outstanding Pitcher of the Regional after posting a 4-0 record with a 1.25 ERA.

DePauw teammates joining Henry on the all-regional team were Kelsey Bernhard and Becca St. Germain

DePauw improved its all-time NCAA postseason record to 37-62 in its 12th appearance.

The Tigers’ 21-game win streak was the second longest in school history behiond the 2008 string of 37.

Over her last 35 innings of NCAA play, Cami Henry has allowed just 22 hits with 42 strikeouts and a 1.20 ERA

Henry’s 22 wins mark the sixth time a DePauw player has accomplished that in a season (Megan Soultz: 36 in 2008, 29 2009 and 2010/Emily Bichler: 30 in 2011/Kahla Nolan: 23 in 2014)

Henry’s 32 strikeouts in this regional are the second-most by a DePauw player in NCAA postseason play behind Megan Soultz’s 35 in five games in 2008

Kelsey Bernhard’s five doubles in the regional are the most in a single-season of NCAA postseason play by a DePauw player

DePauw’s 38 wins trail only the 2008 and 2010 teams which each won 40

DePauw’s other NCAA Championship Finals appearances were in 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2015.