Women's Softball

Rachel Cotterman was 2-for-3 with two RBIs in game two versus Muskingum in the NCAA Regional Championship game from Glassboro, N.J.

Kari Hoying's solo home run to lead off the sixth inning gave Muskingum College a 3-2 lead in the second NCAA Regional Championship game of the day from Glassboro, N.J.  The Big Red would mount a rally in the seventh inning, landing runners on first and third base only to have Muskie pitcher Heather Martin turn Denison away and send her team to their eighth Division III World Series in school history.

Denison, who entered the day with a 3-0 record at the NCAA Regional following Saturday's dramatic 3-2 win over Muskingum, needed one win on Sunday to advance to their first World Series in school history.

The Muskies, who were making their 18th NCAA Tournament appearance, got off to a tremendous start, scoring 12 runs in the first inning of game one off a trio of Denison pitchers.  Muskingum would take the opener 14-1, setting up a winner-take-all second game one hour later.

In game two, Denison went with freshman Mandy Krutzler (Geneva, Ill./Hudson), who worked the final 3.1 innings of game one, and allowed only two runs.  Muskingum would strike early once again as Hoying stroked her second of three home runs on the day over the wall in left-center field giving Muskingum a 2-0 lead heading to the bottom of the first.

In the second inning Denison would turn to senior pitcher Bri Scrofano (Longs, S.C./McDowell) who worked the next four innings and kept the game within reach at 2-0.  In the bottom of the fourth inning senior Rachel Cotterman's (New Lexington, Ohio/Fisher Catholic) two-run single with two outs and the bases loaded knotted the score at 2-2.  It would stay that way until the top of the sixth when the red-hot Hoying stepped to the plate and hit the first pitch deep to left field.

The senior All-American could not have had a better two games at the plate for the Muskies.  She reached base in all seven plate appearances and was 5-for-5 with four runs scored, nine RBIs and three home runs.

Still trailing by one and down to their last at-bat, senior Ali Teopas (Sylvania, Ohio/Northview) drew a lead-off walk to keep Denison's hopes for a championship alive.  Mary Beth Krolikowski (Brunswick, Ohio/Holy Name) followed with a sacrifice bunt and Ali Silver (Baltimore, Ohio/Kenwood) would poke a single through the left side that was enough to move Teopas to third, but not deep enough to drive her in.  With one out and runners on the corners Martin dug deep and rattled off back-to-back strikeouts to clinch the regional championship for Muskingum.

Martin improved to 12-2 on the year thanks to her 2.1 innings of scoreless relief.  The loss was charged to Sam Rumschlag (Carmel, Ind./Cathedral) who's record dropped to 7-5.

This was the fourth NCAA Tournament appearance for the Denison Big Red and the first time that they had advanced to the Regional Championship game.  Denison's senior class which is comprised of Teopas, Claire Kopko (Washington, Pa./Trinity), Silver, Scrofano, Stacey Ronk (Shiocton, Wis./Shiocton) and Cotterman, leave Denison with 112 victories, two NCAC Tournament Championships and a pair of NCAA Division III Regional appearances.