[Box Score]
[Championship Page]
LAKE FOREST, Ill. – For the third time in the last four seasons St. Norbert claimed the MWC Championship, this time with a 2-1 extra inning win over Carroll. Despite getting outhit 12-5 and committing two errors the Green Knights were able to come up the clutch hit in the eighth inning to send them to the NCAA Tournament.
St. Norbert got over the game six loss quickly with a first inning run of the deciding game. Steph Brunette and Samantha Gross both singled to start the game and after getting moved over to third with a sacrifice bunt Brunette scored on a Jessica DeMeuse sacrifice fly.
Carroll tied the game in the bottom half of the third inning with a run on four hits and capitalized on a St. Norbert error. Amanda Strutz picked up an infield hit then moved to third on when Ashlee Leidall’s sacrifice bunt was thrown away and then scored on a Rebecca Menelle single to the left side.
The game remained scoreless until the top the eighth inning when St. Norbert struck the final blow. Brunette doubled to lead off the inning and moved to third on a successful sacrifice bunt from Gross. Morgan Buboltz then took a pitch and lifted it to left field to score Brunette for the game deciding run.
Brunette provided nearly all of the offense that St. Norbert needed going 3-for-4 from the leadoff spot with two runs and a stolen base. Gross and DeMeuse also picked up hits for the Green Knights in the victory.
Morgan Rusch picked up the win going all eight innings. She surrendered 12 hits and struck out two for her seventh win of the season.
Carroll collected 12 hits in the game with 11 of them going as singles. Taylor Steinhilber went 3-for-4 from the plate with the team’s only extra base hit. Steinhilber also went the distance in the circle tossing all eight innings and giving up only five hits and two runs. Leidall and Christine Roggemann both picked up two hits each in the loss.
With the victory St. Norbert earns the Midwest Conference automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament which will be announced next week.
For all the box scores and game recaps from the 2012 MWC Softball Championship please visit the championship page.