SALEM, VA -- #16 Rowan had its run through the 2026 NCAA Division III Softball World Series come to an end as the Profs fell to #8 Belhaven, 4-2, in an elimination game Saturday afternoon from the Moyer Sports Complex.
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Starter
Emily McCutcheon (22-7) gave up the four runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and no walks, but held steady after the Blazers scored four runs in the first inning.
Emma Dobkin was 3-for-4 with an RBI while senior
Kate Evick and
Mikayla Dansky each added two hits.
In that first, Belhaven's Kaleigh Steverson singled in a run with two on before Melissa Lopera made it 4-0 with a three-run homer to left.
The Profs pressured in the second, getting back-to-back singles from
Abigail Pawlowski and Dobkin, but could not score. Rowan left 10 on the basepaths including bases loaded spots in the fourth and the sixth.
Pawlowski helped the Profs finally break through to get on the board in the fourth. With a runner at first, her bunt moved pinch runner
Gia DiMeglio to third but the throw to first was off the mark, making everyone safe. Rowan then executed a double steal to score their first run. Dobkin stepped to the plate and delivered a single to make it 4-2 as Pawlowski just beat the throw home from second.
Back-to-back singles from Dobkin and
Carly Polsky to start the sixth later followed by an error loaded the bases in the inning with one out for Rowan, but the Blazers' Macy Funderburk retired the side on a strikeout and pop up to stave off the Profs.
The Profs finish the season at 43-11, capturing the Marshall Regional, the Glassboro Super Regional and a fourth-straight trip to the Division III World Series. The senior group of McCutcheon, Pawlowski, Evick,
Cami Morgan, and student assistant coach
Veronica Goode are the first in program history to appear in four-straight World Series.
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