FINDLAY, Ohio -- The 11th-ranked Wayne State University softball team (44-7) advanced to the winner's bracket final with a 7-4 triumph over Ashland University (26-22-1) Friday afternoon in the second round of the GLIAC Tournament.
AU had a glorious chance to score in the top of the first as leadoff batter Ally Farrah doubled and advanced to third on a fielding error. WSU senior hurler
Mackenzie Boehler (Saginaw, Mich. / Swan Valley) retired the next three batters on a strikeout, a foul out and a lineout to keep the game scoreless.
The Warriors exploded for six runs in the bottom of the first. Junior
Lyndsay Butler (Cambridge, Ont. / Centennial C.V.I.) singled and classmate
Allie Buchanan (Cambridge, Ont. / Galt C.I.) was plunked with a 2-1 pitch. Senior
Jade McGarr (Guelph, Ont. / St. James Catholic) moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. After a walk to sophomore
Kristen Lucas (Newmarket, Ont. / Mulock S.S.), senior
Shelby Spano (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Stevenson) smacked a hard grounder to the second baseman on a drawn-in infield. The throw home was wild allowing Butler and Buchanan to score. Freshman
Hannah McClounie (Essex, Ont. / St. Anne Catholic) delivered an RBI single up the middle scoring Lucas and sophomore
Kylee Barrett (Croswell, Mich. / Croswell-Lexington) blasted a 1-1 offering over the left centerfield fence for a three-run round tripper to make it 6-0.
Eagle Jen Moore hit a two-run home run in the third to get Ashland on the board.
WSU scored once in the fifth as Butler missed a home run by inches but still would up with a double. Buchanan advanced her to third with a sacrifice bunt, and McGarr plated Butler with an RBI single to right center.
AU's Alexis Van Horn hit a two-out, two-run home run in the top of the sixth to cut the Warrior advantage to 7-4. Butler then entered the circle and retired four of the five batters she faced including three on strikes, while not allowing a ball out of the infield.
IN THE CIRCLE
Boehler (16-3) allowed four earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts to one walk. Butler notched her fourth save of the campaign by throwing 22 of her 28 pitches for strikes.
Hannah Stroe (6-7) went the distance for Ashland surrendering seven runs (six earned) on five hits with one walk and one strikeout in her six innings of work.
LEADING THE WARRIORS
Butler was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while Barrett drove in a game-high three runs.
LEADING THE OPPOSITION
Farrah was 3-for-4, while Van Horn had two hits.
UP NEXT
Wayne State will play Findlay in the winner's bracket game at 10 a.m. on Saturday. All Saturday times have been pushed up two hours. Two elimination games will start at 8 a.m. with Saginaw Valley State facing Ferris State and Grand Valley State squaring off against Ashland.
