Box Score SALEM, Va. - Laura Hernandez hit a pinch-hit, two-run home run to tie the score and Rebecca Snow singled to drive home the winning run as the Texas Lutheran University (TLU) softball team scored three times in the bottom of the seventh to stun Tufts University 4-3 at the Division III College World Series on Thursday afternoon.
This was the first game of the national championship tournament for both teams. The Jumbos (21-6) will now play Wisconsin-Oshkosh in an elimination game on Friday at 11 am. Texas Lutheran (33-4), the defending NCAA champion, moves along in the winner's bracket and will play DePauw on Friday at 4:30 pm.
The Jumbos were leading TLU 3-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh. Michelle Adelman had hit a two-run home run in the third, and consecutive singles by Casey Maggiore, Reegan Coleman and Rachel Moore produced another Tufts run in the fourth.
Tufts went to senior pitcher Kristi Van Meter in relief of senior starter Kristina Haghdan for the seventh. Haley Padilla led off for the Bulldogs with a walk, and then with one out Hernandez capped a long at-bat with the two-run home run to left-center tying the score at 3-3.
The Jumbos went back to Haghdan and TLU lead-off hitter Kelly Jurden reached on an infield single. She stole second and then went to third on a ground out to the ride side. Then on a 1-2 pitch, Snow singled up the middle scoring Jurden to win it for the Bulldogs.
TLU had taken a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. After a lead-off walk by Jurden, Skylar Ouellette drove a double to the gap in right-center with two outs giving the Bulldogs a quick 1-0 lead.
With one out in the Tufts third, the Jumbos would get the lead. Kat Yuzefpolsky hit a slow roller to the right of the second-base bag and beat it out on a close call at first. Adelman then lined her third home run of the season - and second in NCAA's - over the center field fence for a 2-1 Tufts lead.
The Bulldogs put runners on second and third with one out in the bottom of the third, but could not score. Tufts shortstop Mia Steinberg, playing in, fielded a ground ball and threw home where her sister and Tufts catcher Josie Steinberg put the tag on Jurden to get the second out. Haghdan threw a beautiful change-up for a strikeout to end the threat.
The three consecutive singles by Tufts scoring a run in the fourth led to a pitching change, as TLU went from starter Ashlyn Strother to Sydney Ouellette.
Tufts' defense came up big again in the bottom of the fourth inning. After Padilla doubled to the fence in right-center, Jumbo Emma Della Volpe snagged a line drive at second base and fired to Steinberg who managed to catch the throw and get her foot on the bag in one hurried motion for a double play.
The Jumbos had second-and-third opportunities with two outs in the fifth and seventh innings, but could not get runs across.
Jurden scored twice in the game for the Bulldogs, while Sydney Ouellettte earned the pitching victory while allowing two hits and no runs in 3.2 innings. Strother went 3.1 innings giving up seven hits and three runs in her start.
Haghdan took the loss for the Jumbos, allowing six hits and two runs in 6.1 innings. Tufts had nine hits, one each by everyone in the starting line-up.
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