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Varnesdeel Audio Interview
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – Facing elimination twice today, the Davenport Softball team picked up three impressive wins to claim their second ever Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament championship. The Panthers started the day by defeating Madonna 4-0 before sweeping Aquinas in the championship series 4-2 and 2-0 to advance to the NAIA National Tournament for the second time in three seasons. Senior
Sam Cole was brilliant on the mound in her two appearances today as she did not allow a run and she teamed with fellow pitcher
Kyleigh Linebaugh to lift DU to the championship.
Davenport softball is headed back to nationals as they posted an incredible run through the loser's bracket to claim their second ever WHAC Tournament title. Head coach
Ronda Varnesdeel, who announced her retirement at season's end earlier this year, goes out in style in WHAC play after coaching 10 years between DU and Aquinas.
Game 1 – W, 4-0 over Madonna
After an epic battle with the Crusaders in Thursday's second round in which DU won 5-4 on a walk-off single, the Panthers used a big fifth inning in which they belted a pair of 2-run homeruns to post the 4-0 win.
Sam Cole tied the single seasons wins record (22) on the mound as the senior posted her second shutout of the tournament while allowing five hits and striking out a season high 10 batters.
Getting the two long balls in the fifth were freshman
Alexis Powell (the first of her career) and junior
Amber Getty (her 12
th of the season). The two homeruns were part of a seven hit outing for the Panthers against MU starter Bree Crampton as DU advanced to the championship game to face Aquinas who had defeated them one day earlier 1-0. DU would have to win two in a row over their Grand Rapids rival to win the title in the double-elimination format.
Game 2 – W, 4-2 over Aquinas
Kyleigh Linebaugh was outstanding on the mound when her team needed her the most to allow
Sam Cole to get rest for the second game as the freshman went the distance and gave up just two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out seven. The Saints mustered just three base runners in the first six innings before a 7
th inning rally that fell two runs short as DU won 4-2.
The scoring started early for the Panthers as WHAC Player of the Year
Amber Getty doubled to lead off the game and was brought home on a single by
Carli SanMillan. DU added to their lead in the second when WHAC Newcomer of the Year
KC Dunne hit a 2-out 2-RBI single down the left field line scoring Getty and
Lindsey Allen. Davenport finished their scoring in the fourth when
Karli Myers hit a leadoff homerun and DU had a 4-0 lead.
Linebaugh cruised through the first six innings and after loading the bases with nobody out in the seventh, retired three of the next four batters to post her 11
th win of the season. That win set up a winner-take-all championship game.
Game 3 – W, 2-0 over Aquinas
With a berth to the NAIA National Tournament on the line, head coach
Ronda Varnesdeel sent senior ace
Sam Cole to the mound to face Carli Giarmo of Aquinas who had just limited the Panthers to zero runs on six hits Thursday night. The two pitchers were at their best again for the first three innings and despite a few scoring threats by each team, the score was 0-0 entering the bottom of the fourth for DU.
Ashleigh Blovsky led off the inning with a single and was moved to second on bunt single from
Paige Sant'Angelo. After
Alexis Powell moved the pair with a sac bunt,
Karli Myers hit a fly ball to the warning track and it was more than deep enough to score Blovsky from third and DU took a 1-0 lead.
After another 1-2-3 inning from Cole in the top of the fifth, DU added to their lead in the bottom half as they struck via a sac-fly again this time off the bat of
KC Dunne to score
Amber Getty.
The two runs were more than enough for Cole as she finished off her third shutout of the tournament by allowing just pair of hits over the final two frames finishing the Saints off with a called-third strike in the bottom of the seventh. The victory for Cole is her 23
rd of the season which sets a new single season record breaking her own mark of 22 in 2010, Cole also broke her own record of shutouts in a single season as she now has eight entering the national tournament and she tied the strikeouts record with 162 (
Karlee Despres – 2012)
Post-Game Notes
Davenport will be making its second ever appearance at the NAIA National Tournament…The format has a new look in 2013 as there will be 10 sites with four teams battling in a double-elimination style bracket in the opening round for a spot in the final site in Columbus, Ga…Davenport will play in the opening round series from May 13-15 at a site to be determined and the team will find out its location and opponent on May 7
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