Mavs Come up Big in 7th, Advance to Title Game
May 12, 2007 | Softball
MANKATO, Minn. -- Leslie Svobda's two-out single tied the game and Jenifer McDowell followed with a two-run home run as the Mavericks rallied for five runs in the seventh for a 5-1 win over Southwest Minnesota State Saturday. The win puts UNO into the title game Sunday at 3:30 p.m. in the NCAA II North Central Regional softball tournament.
UNO, now 33-18, won its third straight game in the tournament and added the No. 21 Mustangs to its upset list. UNO, the No. 4 seed, upset No. 5 ranked Minnesota State, Mankato, 8-2, Friday to earn the berth in Saturday's winner's bracket game against the 38-12 Mustangs.
"These kids just have a never-say-die attitude," UNO head coach Jeanne Scarpello said.
Southwest Minnesota State will play No. 9 ranked Emporia State, a 6-0 winner over Minnesota State Saturday night, at 1 p.m. Sunday. If UNO loses Sunday, a second championship game would be played Monday afternoon at 1.
Until the seventh, Southwest Minnesota had the edge in a pitching duel between UNO freshman Melissa Negrete and Amanda Johnson. The Mustangs pushed across a run in the third on Jessica Poczosa's two-out single, the second hit of the game off Negrete.
Johnson struck out six and gave up just four hits until the seventh when the Mavericks bunched four singles, a double and home run.
"She's a good pitcher," UNO head coach Jeanne Scarpello said of Johnson. "She had good command the first six innings."
Chanel Reaves started the seventh by beating out a ground ball to the pitcher and moved to second on Alison Jergenson's sacrifice bunt. After Kellyn Kramolisch popped out, the Mustangs elected to pitch to UNO's career home run leader, Svoboda, with first base empty.
"That surprised me," Scarpello said. "I told Leslie to just take what they give you."
Svoboda ripped a single past third to drive home Reaves, and then moved to second when the left fielder overran the ball. McDowell clubbed her eighth homer of the year down the left field line to make it 3-1. Brooke Wagner followed with a single, Sortino doubled and Cataudella singled to cap the rally.
Negrete, a true freshman from Omaha, set down the Mustangs in order in the seventh to improve to 3-0 in the tournament and 13-8 on the season.
Nebraska-Omaha........000 000 5 - 5 10 1
Southwest Minnesota...001 000 0 - 1 5 3
WP-Negrete, 13-8
LP-Johnson, 27-6
2b-UNO, Sortino
HR-UNO, McDowell (8)
UNO, now 33-18, won its third straight game in the tournament and added the No. 21 Mustangs to its upset list. UNO, the No. 4 seed, upset No. 5 ranked Minnesota State, Mankato, 8-2, Friday to earn the berth in Saturday's winner's bracket game against the 38-12 Mustangs.
"These kids just have a never-say-die attitude," UNO head coach Jeanne Scarpello said.
Southwest Minnesota State will play No. 9 ranked Emporia State, a 6-0 winner over Minnesota State Saturday night, at 1 p.m. Sunday. If UNO loses Sunday, a second championship game would be played Monday afternoon at 1.
Until the seventh, Southwest Minnesota had the edge in a pitching duel between UNO freshman Melissa Negrete and Amanda Johnson. The Mustangs pushed across a run in the third on Jessica Poczosa's two-out single, the second hit of the game off Negrete.
Johnson struck out six and gave up just four hits until the seventh when the Mavericks bunched four singles, a double and home run.
"She's a good pitcher," UNO head coach Jeanne Scarpello said of Johnson. "She had good command the first six innings."
Chanel Reaves started the seventh by beating out a ground ball to the pitcher and moved to second on Alison Jergenson's sacrifice bunt. After Kellyn Kramolisch popped out, the Mustangs elected to pitch to UNO's career home run leader, Svoboda, with first base empty.
"That surprised me," Scarpello said. "I told Leslie to just take what they give you."
Svoboda ripped a single past third to drive home Reaves, and then moved to second when the left fielder overran the ball. McDowell clubbed her eighth homer of the year down the left field line to make it 3-1. Brooke Wagner followed with a single, Sortino doubled and Cataudella singled to cap the rally.
Negrete, a true freshman from Omaha, set down the Mustangs in order in the seventh to improve to 3-0 in the tournament and 13-8 on the season.
Nebraska-Omaha........000 000 5 - 5 10 1
Southwest Minnesota...001 000 0 - 1 5 3
WP-Negrete, 13-8
LP-Johnson, 27-6
2b-UNO, Sortino
HR-UNO, McDowell (8)
Players Mentioned
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