D 3 softball

[7express]

Cortland up 2-0 top 4 on Luther in the first elimination game.  For some reason the video isn't working, hopefully it gets fixed by 1:30.

[7express]

Cortland beats Luther 6-0; Luther first team eliminated.  So far I'm 0-1, not a good start, lol.

[7express]

Eastern needs a bounce back against Messiah.  Leading 7-1 in the 7th last night they fell apart giving up 6 in the 7th, and 1 in the 8th to lose the game.  Should be a great matchup between Jessica Rhoads and Molly Rathburn.  Eastern looks like the home team, so they should get last ups if need be.  Jocelyn Hickey pitching for Messiah, questionable decision, I'm sure will be seeing Rhoads at some point though.  Have to throw your ace in an elimination game though, imo
Messiah 0 Eastern 0 top 1st.
Messiah 2 Eastern 0 top 1st.  Couldn't have asked for a worse start; Jacelyn Merkel 2 run homer 3rd batter into the game.  Rathburn gave up 4 home runs the whole year; she's given up 2 in 8 innings in Salem.
Messiah 2 Eastern 1 bot 2.  Arielle Cooper home run gets Eastern on the board, and cuts Messiah's lead in half.
Messiah 2 Eastern 2 bot 3.  Arielle Cooper drives in Priscilla Alicea, and the games tied.
Messiah 2 Eastern 4 bottom 5.  Rathburn homer brings in Alicea who reached on an infield single.  No repeats from last night Molly, you've got the lead, finish them off tonight.
Messiah 2 Eastern 4 final.  After giving up 2 runs and 2 hits in the first inning, Molly gave up 2 hits, 1 walk 0 runs, and 8 strikeouts the remaining 6 innings.  Messiah goes back to Pennsylvania, Eastern plays the loser of Texas-Tyler Linfield tomorrow at 12:00 PM, more then likely Tyler.  Tyler Linfield game starts at 4:00 PM.

[hoopstermom]

Anyone - is video feed working on the Messiah- ECSU game?  

[7express]

Anyone - is video fee working on the Messiah- ECSU game?   

Yah, I'm watching at NCAA.com.

[7express]

Linfield 0 Tyler 1 top 6.  This isn't good, I'd rather face Tyler even though they play in a better conference.

[7express]

Tyler escapes a first and second jam, bottom 6 we go.  Tyler needs 3 more outs to send Linfield to the losers bracket.

[7express]

Tyler wins 4-0 will face winner of Christopher Newport/DePauw tomorrow at 5.
Linfield loses and gives up their first run this postseason, will face Eastern in the first elimination game at 12:00 PM tomorrow.  Can't lie, I'm not entirely excited about this matchup.

[7express]

Chris Newport beats DePauw 11-3 (in 6 innings).  This is the Sunday schedule:

Eastern vs. Linfield kicks it off at 12 noon in an elimination game
Cortland vs. DePauw start at 2:30 in another elimination game
then we have Texas-Tyler vs. Newport in the winners bracket
The day concludes with the winners of the 12 & 2:30 square off in the final elimination game of the day.

My picks
Linfield over Eastern.  Gotta think Linfield bounces back in a big way after getting shut out.  However, since losing hasn't happened much this year (3 losses total), it could have an effect against a team comming off a previous days elimination game who's already been in this spot.
Cortland over DePauw.  Haven't watched much of either team so far, only a couple innings total in DePauw's first 2 games, and 0 innings total of Cortland's 2 games, so this is just a hunch.
Chris Newport over Tyler.  We have a team who will still be riding high over Friday night's win culminating in a shortened win Saturday, playing against a team who shut out a Linfield team that had outscored opponents 52(??) to 0 in the tournament, so both teams will be riding high's.   Chris Newport is playing in state, and even though its 4+ houra away from campus, will have more of a crowd advantage then Tyler will have.
Linfield over Cortland.  This matchup already took place earlier with Linfield winning 10-0 on Friday, so dodn't think why this would be any different.  Also, I think the winner of the first game beats the winner of the second game regardless of who the winners are; the two in the first are better then the two in the second, plus they'll have longer rest on top of that.

[7express]

Linfield vs. Eastern in the first elimination game of the afternoon.  The two favorites in the D3 pool playing each other, and only one can advance.  Linfield should be the favorite, but Molly Rathburn is an all-american pitcher, and thats why they play the game.  Matchup is Lauren Harvey for Linfield vs. Molly Rathburn for Eastern.  Linfield is home team on the scoreboard, so they get last ups if need be in the 7th.
Eastern 0 Linfield 0 top 1st just started
Eastern 0 Linfield 1 top 4th.  Staci Doucette bunt scores Jaydee Baxter.
Eastern 1 Linfield 1 bot 4th.  Rachel Soychak single drives iun Arielle Cooper to tie the game.
Eastern 1 Linfield 1 bot 5.  Molly Rathburn is done for the day.  In an elimination game, its a big risk.  Didn't work too well with Messiah yesterday, hopefully Eastern has better luck.  Christine Akcer is now in for the Warriors.
Eastern 1 Linfield 5 bot 5.  After 2 walks Akcer goes out for Rathburn; after a failed bunt by Baxter Emilee Lepp triples to right to bring the 2 walks home.  Danielle Bourne misplays Doucette's hit to right which goes for a double.  Emily Keagbine single scores Shelby Vandeburgh which pinc ran for Doucette.  Rathburn minimizes the damage as a groundout and strikeout followed a walk to put runners on first and second, but the Wildcats did some damage.
Easter 1 Linfield 9 final.  Now Eastern is imploding.  Kayla Hubrich singles to left, she advances to second, Jordan Mixsell scores when Stephanie Johnson misplayed the ball, next batter Jaydee Baxter doubles to right.  Not that it would have mattered but Bourne started in, and the ball went over head, she recovered to throw Baxter out at 3rd.  Emilee Lepp singles, steals second, and Ducett gets intentionally walked. Karleigh Prestianni double scores Lepp and Ducette to end the game with the 8 run rule.

[7express]

Thats two straight walks for Akcer to begin the 5th.

[7express]

Thats it for Akcer as Rathburn comes back in.

[7express]

That could end the game as Linfield scores 4 runs in the 5th to take a 5-1 lead.

[7express]

Linfield scores 4 in the 6th to walk off with a 9-1 run.  Have to wonder if Rathburn stays in the 5th instead of giving way to Akcer was the difference.  Those 2 batters Akcer faced both walked, which turned out to be the winner.  Granted, Rathburn got crushed when she came back in, but pitching in relief with 2 runners on, is a lot different then starting the inning with no one on.  Bad day for Eastern as their graduation was today as well I believe.  Linfield sticks around to play the Cortland DePauw winner at 7:30.

[7express]

Second elimination game, DePauw vs. Cortland, winner faces Linfield later today.  Cortland is the home team on the scoreboard.  Putching matchup is Emily Bichler for the Tigers, and Lyndsey Rowell for Cortland.
DePauw 0 Cortland 0 top 1st.
DePauw 5 Cortland 0 top 1st.  Lyndsey Rowell didn't last long.  3 errors already for the Red Dragons sends Rowell out of the game and the Tigers to a 5-0 lead.  Bases loaded, 1 out, so DePauw is far from done.
DePauw 5 Cortland 2 top 2nd.  Red Dragons got 2 back in the first.  
DePauw 6 Cortland 2 bot 3rd.  
DePauw 6 Cortland 4 top 4.  Its amazing, Cortland has 6 errors and their only down by 2.  Whoops, and just as I typed that last message they made error #7 on the afternoon.
DePauw 7 Cortland 4 bot 4.  Cortland's 7th error of the game leads to DePauw's 6th unearned run of the game.  Luckily for the Dragons it wasn't worse as they left the bases loaded.
DePauw 7 Cortland 9 bot 5.  Even with 7 errors, and 6 unearned runs allowed, the Red Dragons have scored 5 here in the 5th to take the lead.
DePauw 8 Cortland 14 final.  Remarkable, Cortland commits 8 errors but still wins by 6 runs.