MONTGOMERY, Ill. – After being upset in their first game of the NACC tournament on Thursday, MSOE softball had some work to do to get to championship Saturday. The Raiders were up to the task however and mowed down both Benedictine and Aurora behind two dominant pitching performances and some timely offense on Friday.
RESULTS
No. 5 Benedictine – 0
No. 2 MSOE RAIDERS – 2
No. 4 Aurora – 0
No. 2 MSOE RAIDERS – 4
HOW IT HAPPENED
- vs. No. 5 Benedictine
- Second seeded MSOE (31-10) started off the must win Friday with a late morning battle with fifth seeded Benedictine (24-18). Offense was at a premium as the two teams combined for just seven hits throughout the contest.
- The only runs of the game came in the bottom of the fourth. Morgan Long split the outfield gap with a one out double and was pinch ran for by Reagan Jordan. Jordan would advance to third on a wild pitch to move one base away from scoring, but that distance didn't matter as Lauren Stefanczyk blasted a ball over the left field fence for a two run homer.
- Kennedy Lehn got back into the groove after the loss yesterday for a complete game shutout in which she allowed two total baserunners, none of which advanced farther than first base in the Red & White's 2-0 victory.
- vs. No. 4 Aurora
- The Raiders were back in action almost immediately after defeating the Eagles and took on host and fourth seeded Aurora (27-17) in another elimination contest. MSOE was advantageous and cashed in on three straight free passes in the bottom of the first when Celine Pacheco singled to left center to score Jenna Trewyn.
- The next Red & White run came across when Morgan Long hit a sacrifice fly in the third to plate Faith Matta. Long wasn't done there though as she launched a two run bomb in the bottom of the fifth to put the Raiders up 4-0.
- Lehn didn't miss a beat after her performance from the first game of the day and allowed just one hit once again. The senior ended up walking three and hitting another, but all were left on the basepaths as her 21st win of the season comes via a shutout to help the Raiders advance at least one more game.
RAIDER REMARKS
- The win in game one of the day gave the Raiders 30 victories on the season, making it just the third time they have reached that mark during a campaign in team history.
- This is the second straight year that the Raiders have eliminated Aurora from the NACC tournament.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
- vs. No. 5 Benedictine
- vs. No. 4 Aurora
- Morgan Long: 1-for-1 | Walk | Home Run | Three RBIs
- Kennedy Lehn: Complete game shutout | One hit allowed | Five strikeouts
WHO'S ON DECK
The Raiders will play the loser of the Dominican/Concordia Wisconsin game tomorrow morning at 10:00 am. They will still need to win a total of three straight contests on Saturday to win the NACC crown.
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