Rowan baseball and softball punch their tickets to the Division III championship
Rowan softball swept Colby to advance to their fourth consecutive Division III championship, while the baseball team swept Randolph-Macon for their second straight championship appearance.
Rowan baseball and softball are both heading to the Division III championship.
After sweeping Colby in the NCAA super regionals on Thursday and Friday, the softball team (42-9) is advancing to the championship for the fourth consecutive season and the 10th time in program history.
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The Profs’ 3-0 win on Friday came on a combined shutout between sophomore pitcher BethAnne Doderer (Central) and senior Emily McCutcheon (Audubon). Doderer pitched 3⅔ innings and McCutcheon finished the remaining 3⅓. It was Rowan’s third consecutive shutout during the postseason.
Sophomore Ava Fisher’s (St. Joseph’s Academy) two-run home run in the opening frame of the game powered the Profs to an early lead and they added another run in the third inning.
Rowan’s 1-0 walk-off win on Thursday ended with an error. McCutcheon, who was named the Super Regional Most Valuable Pitcher, threw a complete game shutout, giving up three hits in the seven innings.
Rowan baseball’s games were more offensively driven wins, defeating Randolph-Macon 11-7 in the first game of a doubleheader on Friday, followed by a 9-5 victory in the second game.
Rowan (37-5) recorded 12 hits in the second game on Friday, but the most important hit was a grand slam from junior Joey Bogart (Gloucester Catholic) in the ninth inning to give the Profs the lead on what was previously a 5-5 ballgame.
Sophomore Austin Kreyenhagen threw a complete game, giving up seven hits in nine innings and striking out five.
This is the second year in a row the baseball team is advancing to the D-III Championship, which will take place in Eastlake, Ohio.
The baseball championship follows an eight team, double elimination format. The two remaining teams will face off for the championship in a best-of-three series. The tournament begins on Friday.
For Rowan softball, the championship begins on Thursday in Salem, Va. Last season, the Profs won their first game against Texas Lutheran before dropping the next two to Trine and Randolph-Macon.