Box Score

SALEM, Ore. -- Noth Dakota State took a 5-1 lead into the sixth inning and withstood a furious rally from LeMoyne to win 5-4 and advance to meet either UC Davis or Georgia College and State University in the 2003 NCAA Division II Softball Championships.

Jess Christensen went 2-for-4 at the plate and Lindsey Graham drove in a pair of runs on her 14th home run of the season and came in to pick up her second save of season for the Lady Bison.

Courtney Lacock (16-2) picked up he win for NDSU, scattering six hits over six innings while striking out eight.t

"Courtney did a great job for us," NDSU head coach Darren Mueller said. "That was the best change-up she has thrown in about a month. She kept them off balanced and her curve ball was working really well. She did a great job for us."

The Bison struck early, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning on Grham's homer to deep left field. NDSU answered LeMoyne's single run in the second when Jenny Bakke scored Christensen on a sacrifice fly in the third.

The Bison added two runs in the fourth on an RBI double by Jennie Shollenberger and an RBI single by Christensen.

LeMoyne, who rallied with two outs in the seventh to knock off West Florida on Friday, scored a pair of runs in the sixth, and had the bases loaded with just one out in the seventh before Lindsey Graham closed the door on the comeback.

"We talked about how these guys came back yesterday," added Mueller. "We knew that we had to keep scoring runs."

Megan Vecchiano, who had given up just eight earned runs all season for LeMoyne, was struck for five runs and 10 hits by the powerful NDSU lineup, which features three NFCA first team All-Americans.