DULUTH, Minn. – Minnesota Morris (19-17) is one win away from punching a ticket to the NCAA Tournament after beating St. Scholastica (28-14) 4-1 in the winner's bracket game. The Cougars will play the winner of tomorrow morning's elimination game at noon. St. Scholastica and Northwestern play in the elimination game at 10 a.m.
The winner of tomorrow morning's elimination game will then have to beat the Cougars twice in order to knock out UMM. The Cougars need one win to clinch that NCAA Tournament spot and claim the title of UMAC Tournament Championships.
Mackenzie Weatherly picked up her 11
th win of the season going all seven innings and allowing just four hits and an unearned run.
Autumn Mahoney had the biggest hit of the game, a two run double in the sixth giving the Cougars a 2-1 lead.
Neither team had a hit until the bottom of the third when the Saints scored a run after a one out double and two out single. Morris was still hitless after four trips to the plate and the Saints nearly scored again in the bottom of the fourth. Scholastica put runners on second and third with one out before a double play got the Cougars out of the jam. The lead runner was cut down at the plate on a fielder's choice and then the batter was out after she got caught off first base.
After another hitless inning Morris finally got to the St. Scholastica starter, doing so in a big way.
Paige Larson started the inning with a single up the middle.
Alex Anderson was up next and singled as well.
Gina Downie did the same thing and the Cougars quickly loaded the bases with nobody out. Mahoney came to the plate next and delivered her second double of the season, as both Anderson and Larson scored. Olson was next and she singled in Downie putting UMM up 3-1. The final run of the inning scored when Olson was caught stealing and Mahoney came home on the throw to second.
Scholastica didn't do much in the sixth and the Cougars went to the seventh leading 4-1. In the seventh the Saints put two on with one out but Weatherly induced a fly ball out and then a pop out to short to end the game.
