Box Score

SALEM, Ore. -- Jennifer Joiner took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and Georgia College and State University took advantage of a huge third inning error to defeat North Dakota State 2-0 in the 2003 NCAA Division II Softball Championships.

GC&SU, who has only had three winning seasons in school history, will face UC Davis in the championship game tonight at 6 p.m. PDT. A Bobcat win would force a winner-take-all final on Monday between the same two teams.

"I'm just glad we scored more than one run," joked GC&SU coach Wendy Thees, whose team had scored one run in each of its three previous games. "We seem to be nervous at the plate. I think some of our girls are trying to do too much."

After Joiner led off the third with a walk, NDSU pitcher Lindsey Graham got two outs before Aundrea Baker took a 1-1 pitch that looked like a routine single.

NDSU center fielder Jess Christensen misplayed the ball, and a speedy Baker took four bases to give GC&SU a lead that they would not relinquish.

"I thought she had caught it on the hop so I ran through first," said Baker. "When it got past her, I was thinking triple.I got to third and coach was yelling for me to score!"

For Joiner, it was her third shutout of the tournament and second one-hitter. Meghan Potter singled throught the left side with one out in the seventh to break up the no-hitter, and NDSU had two runners on before Joiner retired the final two batters to send the Bobcats to the title game.

The Bison end their season with a 43-11 record