NCAA Softball: Flagler Advances to Super-Regional 9-7
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flagler (37-17) | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 16 | 2 |
| Lenoir-Rhyne (48-13) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 3 |
| @ Savannah, Ga. | Armstrong SB Field | ||||||||||
| Pitching |
|---|
| Win: Donna Munafo (19-5) - Flagler |
| Loss: Dawon Millwood (34-8) - Lenoir-Rhyne |
| Save: Katie Enright (5) - Flagler |
| Flagler Batting |
|---|
| 2B: Robyn Draper; Alona Personius; Lauren Ely; Marissa Blake 2 |
| 3B: none |
| HR: none |
| Lenoir-Rhyne Batting |
|---|
| 2B: none |
| 3B: none |
| HR: Jessica Fellmeth |
SAVANNAH, Ga. – Lauren Roudabush’s two-run single in the fifth inning proved to be the winning margin in Flagler College’s 9-7 win over No. 12 (NFCA Division II Top 25) Lenoir-Rhyne University in the championship game of the Savannah Regional in the NCAA Division II National Tournament Sunday afternoon at the Armstrong Softball Field.
The Saints won all three games of the regional and will advance to next weekend’s Super Regional at North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega in a best-of-three series. The winner advances to the NCAA Division II National Championships in Louisville, Ky. The Saints knocked off No. 9 Armstrong and No. 12 Lenoir-Rhyne twice. Flagler is 7-0 all-time at the Armstrong Softball Field.
Flagler improved to 37-17 while Lenoir-Rhyne ended its season with a 48-13 record.
Flagler wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard. Alona Personius hit a two-run single in the first inning.
Undaunted, the Bears scored twice in the home half of the first, the first runs Flagler had allowed in the tournament.
The Saints took the lead for good on an RBI-double by Marissa Blake in the second.
Flagler sent eight batters to the plate in the third and plated four runs. Personius had an RBI double and three batters later, Lauren Bessent hit a single to right-center to produce Flagler’s fifth run and chase Lenoir-Rhyne starter Dawon Millwood (34-8) from the game. Blake greeted the reliever, Lauren Harris, with a two-run double to left-center.
Now trailing 7-2, Jessica Fellmeth hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the third to keep the Bears in the game.
But the Saints took a commanding 9-4 lead in the fifth on Roudabush’s hit and held off a Bears rally in the bottom of the fifth.
Blake went 3-for-3 with two doubles, three runs batted in and scored a run. Personius went 3-for-4 with a double, three RBI and scored a run. Robyn Draper had three hits, including a double, and scored twice.
Donna Munafo (19-5) pitched 4.1 innings and allowed seven hits, five earned runs before giving way to Katie Enright. She tossed the final 2.2 innings and did not allow a run to earn her fifth save of the year.
Fellmeth went 3-for-3 with the home run, and knocked in four runs for the Bears.
Millwood tossed 2.2 innings, surrendered nine hits and seven runs.
This is Flagler’s second appearance in NCAA postseason play. The Saints went 2-2 in last year’s Dahlonega Regional. The 16 hits were the most by the Saints this season since Feb. 19 when they had 18 hits against Eckerd. The nine runs scored was more than the total runs in Flagler’s previous nine games.