Moving on: CWRU softball advances to NCAA Championships

The seniors on the Case Western Reserve University softball team had a busy—and extremely memorable—weekend. Fresh off winning a best-of-three series against Hope College in the Super Regionals of the NCAA Division III Tournament Friday and Saturday, the team arrived home at 1:30 a.m. Sunday. By 8 a.m., the seniors were lining up for commencement ceremonies. And now, in just two days, the team will head to Oklahoma for the 2018 NCAA Division III Softball Championship. “It’s quite a week in the life of a 22-year-old,” said Head Coach Josie Henry. As one of eight teams advancing to the championship, the softball team will get the chance to continue its season, which so far has resulted in a 37-10 overall record. The team’s first opponent in the double-elimination tournament will be The University of Texas at Tyler (43-3) Thursday, May 24, at 5 p.m. The championships will continue through Monday, May 28. The final two teams will face off in a best-of-three series. A livestream of the games will be available at ncaa.com and linked from athletics.case.edu/landing/index. The championship bid is historic for the Case Western Reserve Spartans. This is the first time the program will play in the championships. Last week, the team had another first, as it was the only time the program had made it to the Super Regional round of the NCAA tournament. It’s also just the second time the Spartans have been in the NCAA tournament, having last made an appearance in 2001. But over the last few years, the team has been close to heading to the tournament several times, which makes this season’s success even more impactful for Henry and the team. So when the team’s emotional reaction for receiving an at-large bid to the tournament was captured on video a few weeks ago, it was about much more than just sheer excitement. “They weren’t just screaming because we happened to get in,” Henry said. “It was like we had been waiting that long and it’s been so close for so many times that the emotion was just super high from that.” For Henry, getting into the tournament with an at-large bid also carries a lot of weight, given the team’s success in the path to the championships. “I think it really says a lot that we were selected as an at-large and now we’re playing really well and representing our university in such a great way. It’s just another opportunity,” Henry said. “We’re going to be on an even bigger stage to represent Case Western [Reserve]. It’s a huge honor.” Get more details about the championship.

Weekend recap

The softball team’s championship berth comes after it recorded two of three wins against Hope College over the weekend at the Holland Super Regional. In the first game of the series, Case Western Reserve took an early 1-0 lead in the third inning when a single by first-year Arisa Cleaveland scored Dusstyn Reynolds. In the fifth inning, Hope College came back with two runs to tilt the score at 2-1. First-year Sarah Miller evened the score at 2-2 with a single home run the following half inning. With the score tied, junior Nicole Doyle delivered an RBI-single to bring home senior Katie Wede for the game-winning run. Henry credits the come-from-behind victory as the crucial piece in the team’s weekend. “We just found a way to claw back and we ended up winning 3-2, so I think that was really the turning point for us,” Henry said. “To be able to get that win was critical in the next day, even though we did drop a game.” The Spartans surrendered game two of the series with a score of 3-1. In the game’s first inning, senior Maren Waldner singled to score Wede. Hope College came back with a strong third inning, scoring three runs to round out the final score at 3-1. With the third game, the Spartans clinched the series win and a trip to the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City with a 4-1 score. Scoreless throughout three innings, Case Western Reserve came to the plate and scored all four of its runs in the fourth inning. Sophomore Ilissa Hamilton, Cleaveland and Doyle each recorded RBIs during the offensive onslaught. Though Hope College scored a run in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Spartans were able to hold the team there to earn the win. Case Western Reserve was backed by strong pitching throughout the series, with Hamilton going 2-1. She allowed just six earned runs over 17 innings and struck out nine batters. Sidney Brannam also pitched in the second game of the series, coming in for four scoreless innings of relief, allowing three hits and striking out three.