Chapman Outlasts Alma, 7-6 (15 innings)

In the second longest game in NCAA Division III softball championship round history, the Chapman College Panthers defeated the Alma College Scots 7-6 in 15 innings in an elimination contest. The Panthers, who scored once in the top of the 15^th inning and improves to 36-10 on the year, remain alive in the championship and will next play at 2:30pm on Sunday afternoon at the Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, VA. Alma has its season come to a close with a 39-9 overall record. The game tied a 15-inning contest between Wisconsin Eau Claire and Roanoke during the 2000 championship as the second longest game.

A Sandra Burns single to left, an Alma fielding error and infield single loaded the bases in the 15^th. Pinch-hitter Kristy Smith then hit a deep fly to left and on the sacrifice fly Burns was able to tag-up at third and score the winning run. The RBI was just the fifth on the season for Smith, while the sac was her first of the season.

The Panthers used aggressive running in the top of the second to take a 1-0 lead. With runners on first and third with one out, Katherine Searing put down a suicide squeeze bunt down the first base line. On the play, Meredith Cipolla slid around the Alma catcher’s tag attempt at home to give CU the 1-0 lead. Cipolla led off the inning with a double to deep centerfield and went to third on an Alma fielding error.

The Alma bats came alive in the bottom of the third inning, with the Fighting Scots scoring four runs on five hits in the inning. With one out, the Scots rattled off five consecutive singles. Colleen Trybus and Laura Rochon each had RBI singles. The Scots could have put more runs on the board in the inning, but Trybus was thrown out at second attempting to extend her hit to a double. The Scots then took advantage of Chapman miscues to get their final two runs of the inning. Chapman relief pitcher Erin Bryant threw two wild pitches in the inning that allowed Alma runners to score from third base.

Chapman rallied for three runs in the top of the sixth inning to draw even at four runs each. Keely Starr singled to left and Kailee Roeser singled to center to get the rally going. Brittany Ziegler then hit a deep single to leftcenter to score Starr from second and make the score 4-2. Cipolla followed with the fourth straight hit to load the bases. The next batter, Melissa Simerlink, doubled off of the rightcenter field fence to score two runs, bringing the Panthers even at four.

Chapman continued its comeback in the top of the seventh, going out ahead 6-4 thanks in large part to two Alma errors. The first batter of the inning, Ashlie Vohs reached on a fielding error on the Alma shortstop. Vohs went to second on a sac bunt and then reached third on another error on the Scots, this time on a muffed catch at firstbase. Kailee Roeser then hit a grounder to short on which Vohs broke for home. She beat the throw home to score the go-ahead run. Ziegler then singled up the middle to score Keely Starr from second base to give the Panthers the two-run cushion.

The Scots sent the game to extra innings with two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Three singles and a Chapman error helped send the game to extra innings. Katie Eustice and Colleen Trybus each had RBI singles in the inning. Catcher Erin Carson reached on an error by the Cu shortstop and later came in to score the game-tying run, an unearned run.