DePauw softball advances in tourney

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- Top-ranked DePauw softball scored three in the second and two in the fifth and Megan Soultz tossed her 15th shutout of the season in a 5-0 win over Washington University in an NCAA Division III Softball Championship first round game.

DePauw improved to 39-2 with the win and advanced in the winner's bracket where they'll face the winner of today's Wisconsin-Whitewater vs. Wartburg game. First pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 2 p.m. CDT with WGRE carrying the action live. The Bears dropped to 25-14 and face Coe in a 10 a.m. elimination game on Saturday.

Ashlee Anton led off the DePauw second with a walk and moved to second on Carolyn Bartlett's single to right. Kelly Schwerzler advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt before Emma Minx reached on a two-out walk. Chelsy Patterson then hit a ball to right center which went off of Karli Stander's glove for a three-base error giving DePauw a 3-0 lead.

Minx led off the fifth with a single, moved to second on Patterson's sacrifice and scored on Brianne Weeks' double down the left field line. Rachel Gill then delivered the final run with a double.

Soultz improved to 35-2 with the win as she allowed just six hits. Claire Voris dropped to 15-6 and allowed just five hits and two earned runs.

Four different Tigers collected one hit each, while Stander paced the Bears with two of their six hits.