NCAA Division II Championship
James I. Moyer Softball Complex
Salem, Va.
Division II Championship Host Web Site
Division II Championship LIVE Audio Broadcast
Day Four Notes
And Then There Were Three...: More than 200 teams began play in February and March. Thirty-two teams earned NCAA tournament berths and eight teams reached the national championship. Now, only Humboldt State, Lewis and Nebraska-Omaha remain. Humboldt State and Nebraska face each other Monday at 10 a.m. for the chance to take on Lewis for the national championship at 12:30 p.m.
Early Leads: Through 13 games, the team that scored first has a 10-3 record at the championship. Lewis and Humboldt State each have a win against an opponent that scored first.
What a Difference a Year Makes: Last year, Lewis went 0-2 at the national championship as the Flyers were outscored 12-1 in two games. This year, Lewis is one game away from winning its first ever national championship.
Mack(inson) Attack: Lewis pitcher Kim Mackinson may be the pitching star of the championship thus far. Mackinson has a 2-0 record with one save in the championship, pitching 15 scoreless innings. She tossed a two-hit shutout against Humboldt State Sunday to assure Lewis of a spot in the championship game.
"Double-Double" for Tursky: For the second time in three games, Humboldt State's April Tursky doubled home a run. Tursky's RBI-double against Bloomsburg helped spark the Lumberjacks' come-from-behind victory Sunday, two days after her two-run double helped lead HSU to a win over Nebraska-Omaha.
Miller Monster Home Run: Bloomsburg's Erica Miller may have had the longest home run of the tournament, launching a bomb in the first inning against Humboldt State Sunday. Not wanting to take any chances of another blast, Humboldt State head coach intentionally walked Miller in the sixth inning -- with two outs and nobody on base.
"Scheppers-vesence": Nebraska-Omaha's Sarah Scheppers has been the offensive spark for the Mavericks in their last two games. Scheppers' two-run single against Eastern New Mexico Saturday sparked a three-run third inning to lead UNO to a 3-0 victory. Sunday against Lewis, Scheppers had another two-run single to cap a three-run first inning and spark another 3-0 win.
Day Four Quotes
"We put Christa in at the end because her uniform was still dry and she'd have something dry to wipe her hand on."
Nebraska-Omaha head coach Jeanne Tostenson on having Christa Unger pitch to the final batter in relief of starter Michelle Manthei during a seventh-inning downpour against Lewis.
"I do it all the time."
Nebraska-Omaha's Sarah Scheppers, joking about hitting a two-run single for the second consecutive game.
"Right now, we're just going to go home and eat, which we've been doing a lot of this week."
Lewis head coach George DiMatteo after the Flyers' loss to Nebraska-Omaha.
"Last year, we didn't know what to expect. We were nervous and scared. This year we're a very confident team."
Lewis senior shortstop Melissa Swiatek.
"I don't want to be caught rooting for either team. (I'm hoping) for a 25-inning game."
Humboldt State head coach Frank Cheek on the Lewis/Nebraska-Omaha game.
"Lacey (Cope) made a great throw and Kelly (Morgan) made a great tag."
Humboldt State right fielder Melanie Baker, who triggered a seventh-inning 7-4-5 putout to prevent a triple by BloombsurgÃs Jessica Shnyder.î
"You couldn't ask for two greater athletes and two greater people than these two seniors."
Bloomsburg head coach Jan Hutchinson on her two seniors, Erica Miller and Vanessa Sterner.
"We're disappointed right now, but when we look back, we did well and we had a great time."
Bloomsburg senior Erica Miller after the Huskies' loss to Humboldt State.
"Again, we score all our runs in one inning, we scored early and we then let our pitching and defense take over. We had some great defensive plays."
Lewis head coach George DiMatteo after the Flyers' win over Humboldt State.
"It was a 3-2 count, so I knew she had to throw something down the middle. It looked good enough to swing at, so I did and I got lucky."
Lewis' Jill Karwoski on her first-inning two-run homer in the Flyers' 2-0 victory over Humboldt State.
"Mackinson pitched a good game. She held us to two hits and we're a pretty good hitting team."
Humboldt State head coach Frank Cheek on Lewis pitcher Kim Mackinson.
"The pitch was on the outside corner. It was just a great hit."
Humboldt State pitcher Jessame Kendall on Jill Karwoski's home run.