OFFICIAL SITE | BRACKET | BOX SCORE
May 8, 2009, Greencastle, Ind. — Seventh-seed Hiram scored both of its runs in the second inning and made it hold up in 2-1 victory over third-seed Adrian in game five of the first round of the NCAA Division III Softball Championship.
The Terriers improved to 27-15 with the win, while Adrian was eliminated from the tournament and finished the season at 34-8. Hiram returns to action at 4 p.m. when it takes on the loser of the DePauw-Thomas More game.
Adrian took a 1-0 lead in the first as Krissy Sheets led off the game with a walk and moved to second on Sarah Hall's sacrifice bunt. Holly Lowe singled Sheets to third and Sheets scored when Lowe attempted to steal and the throw to second was off the mark.
Chastine Romanello led off the Hiram second with a single and Ashley Crowder entered as a pinch-runner. Rosie Frank's sacrifice bunt moved Crowder to second and Heidi Gipson's single to left advanced her to third. Marlene Smith entered as a pinch-runner for Gipson and stole second. Ashley Pike was hit by a pitch and Kristen Cooney delivered a two-out single through the right side which scored both runs.
Stephaine Zunic led Hiram with two of its five hits, while Lowe had three of Adrian's eight and Katie Adams added two.
Whitney Dropsey improved to 18-9 and allowed just one unearned run, while Kelly Eberhardt dropped to 10-4.
Top-seed and fourth-ranked Ohio Northern scored three runs in the top of the seventh and advanced in the NCAA Division III Softball Championship first round winner's bracket with an 8-5 win over fifth-seed Defiance
/Athletics/SoftballMegan Soultz allowed just a sixth inning single to Lisa Wiesman and led second-seed and 15th-ranked DePauw to a 2-0 win over sixth-seed Thomas More in a winner's bracket game in the first round of the NCAA Division III Softball Championship
/Athletics/SoftballLiz Decima's one-out single to center in the bottom of the ninth scored Mandi Fought and lifted top-seed and fourth-ranked Ohio Northern to a 4-3 win over fourth-seed Trine in the day's final game in the first round of the NCAA Division III Softball Championship
/Athletics/SoftballWith all of the game's scoring taking place in the first inning, 15th-ranked and second-seeded DePauw took a 2-1 win over seventh-seeded Hiram in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championship
/Athletics/SoftballSixth-seed Thomas More battle back from a 3-0 deficit to force extra innings and then scored one in the top of the tenth for a 4-3 win over Adrian in game two of the first round of the NCAA Division III Softball Championship
/Athletics/Softball