MARSHALL, TX -- #16 Rowan fought its way back to the NCAA Tournament Regional Final with a 5-1 win over St. Thomas in an elimination game Friday evening at the Marshall Regional on the campus of East Texas Baptist.
The Profs (37-9) move on to take on the host #6 Tigers needing two wins to advance to the Super Regional round tomorrow starting at 11:00 a.m. (CT) / 12: 00 p.m. (ET) with the 'if necessary' game 30 minutes after.
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Ava Fisher was 3-for-4 with a run and RBI while
Kate Evick added some insurance in the seventh with a big two-run home run.
Starter
Emily McCutcheon (18-5) went the distance, scattering seven hits on just one run, with two K's and a walk.
This was the second meeting of the teams in as many days, as
the Profs took down UST, 2-1, in eight innings on Thursday in the NCAA Regional Opener for both teams.
The Celts threatened in its first at-bat, as two singles and a walk loaded the bases. Now with two outs, Ciaira Gonzalez singled home one run but a strong throw from right from
Carly Polsky was able to get the second runner at the plate to limit the damage to just one run.
In the second, pinch runner
Lauren Foltz scored from third on a double steal with Polsky taking second to draw a throw to tie things at 1-1.
Fisher thought she broke the game open with a well hit ball to left center with the bases loaded, but it was ruled a single after the ball did not go over the fence and back into play. The single did allow
Zara MacNair to score put the Profs ahead, 2-1.
Emma Dobkin led off the sixth with a walk, with Polsky following with a grounder to third but the throw to second for the forceout was off the mark to put two runners on. After a walk to
Zara MacNair to load the bags again, Dansky brought home Dobkin with a sac fly to right to make it a two-run game.
Evick helped put a stamp on the win with a two-run homer in the seventh. It was her second longball of the season.
Savana Henken and Chloe Bennett each had two hits for the Celts (31-11), out of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
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