Box Score Springfield, Ohio - Third-seed DePauw scored a single run in the top of the 10th and advanced in the winner's bracket of the North Coast Athletic Conference Softball Tournament with a 5-4 victory over second-seed Denison. The Tigers moved to 21-20 with the win, while Denison dropped to 24-9. With the win, DePauw faces host Wittenberg in the finals of the winner's bracket at approximately 4 p.m. after Wittenberg topped Allegheny, 11-4. Denison and Allegheny square off in an elimination game after the DePauw-Wittenberg game.
The Tigers got out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first as Liz Getz led off the game with a bunt single and stole second before Jordyn Fera delivered a two-out RBI single. Fera, who advanced to second after an error on the play, scored when Sidney Holler followed with a single to right.
DePauw extended the lead to 3-0 in the second as Alyssa Nowak led off with a single and moved to second when Megan Montgomery reached on an error on her bunt attempt. After Abey Bass advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt, Getz hit a sacrifice fly to right, plating Nowak.
The Big Red wasted little time in evening the score as Laura Bagan, Mckinly Vazquez and Lindsey Clemson loaded the bases with singles. Ricki Asher's singled in a pair and moved to second on an error. After Emilie Fisher walked to load the bases, the Tigers threw out Clemson at the plate on a fielder's choice grounder. Emma Baldwin replaced Julia Bork in the circle and a wild pitch allowed Asher to score. Baldwin struck out Lauren Secaras to end the inning.
DePauw regained the lead in the fourth as Becca St. Germain led off with a double and pinch-runner Mina Shaw moved to third on Nowak's sacrifice bunt and scored on Montgomery's sacrifice fly.
Denison forced extra innings in the bottom of the seventh as Fisher doubled with one out and scored on a two-out single by Secaras.
With the tiebreaker rule in place for the top of the tenth, Kaylyn Linder was placed on second and scored when Kathleen Byers reached on a sacrifice bunt that included a throwing error on the play.
Denison had runners on first and second with no outs in the bottom of the 10th, but the Tigers recorded a force out at third and then picked off Bagan at first before Baldwin struck out Vazquez to end the game.
Getz, St. Germain and Nowak each had two of DePauw's nine hits, while Fisher, Bagan and Clemson each had two of Denison's 10.
Baldwin improved to 9-8 after allowing just one run in 8 1/3 innings. She moved her career record in NCAC Tournament games to 6-1 with a 0.94 ERA. Sarah Herold dropped to 11-5 with the loss.
