The seniors came up clutch when called upon in the biggest game of the season.
Senior outfielder
Hannah Schmoll made her fifth collegiate home run the biggest one of her career as she launched a three-run home run to dead center to lift the No. 25 University of Minnesota Duluth to a 4-3 victory over Emporia State University, and a winner-take-all championship match tomorrow.
The Bulldogs, who beat Arkansas Tech University 7-4 earlier in the day to get to the championship round, will meet the Hornets one last time at Maynard R. Johnson Field in Winona, Minn. That NCAA Central Regional 1 title will be decided at 11:00 a.m., with the winner moving on to the NCAA Super Regional against No. 8 Southern Arkansas University.
Senior second baseman
Natalie Wright hit her eighth homer to start the scoring. Her solo shot gave the Bulldogs a brief 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning. The Hornets answered immediately with a solo shot of their own by Danielle Sprinkle.
UMD took back the lead with a rally started with one out by freshman catcher
Jessica Bren. Bren, the native of Victoria, Minn., dropped a perfect bunt and made it safely to first before the throw. She was forced out on a fielder's choice but junior outfielder
Sammi Sadler kept things alive with a single back up the middle. That turned the lineup back to the top. Schmoll saw a ball and a strike before punishing the third pitch she saw over the fence.
Emporia State got a pair of runs to slash the lead to one but junior pitcher
Valerie Hohol and her defense swatted away any other Hornet rallies. Emporia State made one last threat in the sixth but was turned away by an outstanding defensive effort by senior shortstop
Becky Smith to force a key double play. Smith ranged behind her to make an over-the-shoulder catch and, in one motion, chucked the ball back to Wright to double up the runner at second.
Hohol retired the last four batters she faced to secure the Bulldogs' 43rd victory of the season (the second-most in team history and most at the NCAA level).
UMD is looking for its first NCAA central regional title and its first appearance into the super regionals.
