Virginia Wesleyan wins 2021 DIII softball championship
Virginia Wesleyan wins 2021 DIII softball championship
Lead off homer by @JessicaGoldyn ! #wethebeach #catchthewave pic.twitter.com/FZ38mfIv0u
— Virginia Wesleyan Athletics (@vwu_marlins) June 1, 2021
Virginia Wesleyan scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning of the decisive Game 3 of the DIII softball national championship series and those were the only runs it needed to defeat Texas Lutheran, but for good measure, it added three more runs in the third inning, three more in the fourth and another in the fifth to ultimately win 9-1.
Click or tap here to watch a full replay of Game 3.
Virginia Wesleyan finished with 12 hits and two walks, with eight RBI on nine runs. Lead-off batter Jessica Goldyn, clean-up hitter Danielle Stewart and Ariana Rolle each finished with multi-hit games, while starting pitcher Hanna Hull allowed five hits and just one run in five innings.
Click or tap here to view the box score from Game 3.
This was Virginia Wesleyan's third national championship in a four-championship span, since it also won in 2017 and 2018.
Click or tap here to view the interactive tournament bracket.
Virginia Wesleyan pulls away from Texas Lutheran
After scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning of Game 3, Virginia Wesleyan added three runs in the bottom of the third – Katelyn Biando's single scored Julia Sinnett and Jessica Goldyn, while Julie Fassl's single scored Danielle Stewart – then three more runs in the fourth inning as Sinnett's sacrifice bunt scored Ariana Rolle, which was followed by Stewart's two-run home run to give Virginia Wesleyan an 8-0 lead.
With two outs in the fourth, after Stewart's home run, Virginia Wesleyan has eight runs on 10 hits and one walk, while Texas Lutheran changed pitchers after Sydney Ouellette allowed four earned runs and six total runs in two innings.
Virginia Wesleyan starts the scoring in the bottom of the first
After dropping a 3-2 thriller to Texas Lutheran in Game 2 of the national championship series, Virginia Wesleyan picked up its scoring in the bottom of the first inning of Game 3 on a lead-off home run from fifth-year senior Jessica Goldyn. Virginia Wesleyan scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning of Game 2 to cut the deficit to 3-2, but it was unable to push the game-tying run across the plate, which forced Game 3.
After Madison Glaubke singled, she advanced to second on Danielle Stewart's single to right field and she scored on a fielder's choice that resulted in a throwing error, giving Virginia Wesleyan a 2-0 lead.
Texas Lutheran wins Game 2 3-2
Virginia Wesleyan tried to make a comeback in Game 2 of the national championship series to take home the title, but trailing 3-0 entering the seventh, Virginia Wesleyan was only able to score two runs before Madison Glaubke flied out to center field with Jessica Goldyn on third after a two-RBI triple. The fly out gave Texas Lutheran the win and forced a winner-take-all Game 3, which is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 1.
Texas Lutheran's third run in the bottom of the sixth inning proved to be the difference. You can watch the full replay of Game 2 by clicking or tapping here.
Texas Lutheran adds another run in sixth
After Texas Lutheran got out of a jam in the top of the sixth inning, it added another run in the bottom of the inning. Skylar Ouellette's single up the middle scored Kelly Jurden to put Texas Lutheran up 3-0.
Texas Lutheran gets fly out to end top of sixth
With runners on second and third after Virginia Wesleyan's Julia Sinnett doubled to left center, Texas Lutheran's Ashlyn Strother got Danielle Stewart to foul out, then Katelyn Biando flied out to center to end the top half of the inning, as well as the scoring threat.
Virginia Wesleyan's Fassl with incredible outfield assist
With Texas Lutheran leading 2-0 in the bottom of the third inning, Virginia Wesleyan's Julie Fassl fielded Rebecca Snow's single to right field and Fassl threw a laser to third base, where Casey Martin was trying to advance from first. Julia Sinnett applied the tag for the third out of the inning, allowing Virginia Wesleyan to get out of the inning.
Texas Lutheran scores two in the bottom of the first
After Texas Lutheran starting pitcher Ashlyn Strother struck out two batters and held Virginia Wesleyan scoreless in the top of the first, Texas Lutheran's offense came alive in the bottom of the inning. Lead-off batter Kelly Jurden reached on an error, then Casey Martin got hit by a pitch, as Texas Lutheran took advantage of some unforced errors, leading to a sacrifice bunt from Rebecca Snow that moved both runners.
Then Skylar Ouellette grounded out to short, but she knocked in Jurden and Martin, as Texas Lutheran took a 2-0 lead.
Virginia Wesleyan vs. Texas Lutheran: Game 2 is underway
Game 2 of the DIII softball national championship series is now underway, as Virginia Wesleyan looks to win the best-of-three series and Texas Lutheran tries to bounce back after dropping Game 1. Virginia Wesleyan can win the national title if it wins Game 2 (or a potential Game 3), while Texas Lutheran needs to win Game 2 and Game 3 to become the national champion.
Click or tap here to view a livestream and live stats for Game 2.
Click or tap here to view the DIII softball interactive bracket.
A DIII softball national champion to be named Tuesday
The 2021 DIII softball national champion will raise the trophy on Tuesday. Following a 4-2 win in Game 1 of the best-of-three national championship series, No. 2 seed Virginia Wesleyan needs just one win over No. 4 seed Texas Lutheran, while the latter needs two consecutive wins to win the championship.
First pitch for Game 2 is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET.
Click or tap here to view a livestream and live stats for Game 2.
In Game 1, Virginia Wesleyan scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning and that was all that offense it needed. Madison Glaubke tripled with one out and scored on an RBI bunt from Julia Sinnett. Later in the inning, Karlee Fretz hit a three-run home run.
Click or tap here to view the DIII softball interactive bracket.
Virginia Wesleyan defeats Texas Lutheran 4-2 in game 1
Virginia Wesleyan takes a 1-0 lead in the DIII softball championship series over Texas Lutheran following a 4-2 win in game 1. The Marlins scored all four of their runs in the first inning and Hanna Hull held TLU hitless over the final five frames, which was more than enough to secure the opening game of the series.
Madison Glaubke scored the first run of the championship series, cranking a triple off the centerfield wall and scoring on a fielder's choice. Karlee Fretz opened the game up with a three-run home run just three batters later. VWU would threaten twice more in the bottom of the second and fifth innings by loading the bases, but came away empty both times.
Haley Padilla got two of those runs back for Texas Lutheran with her 12th home run of the season, but the Bulldogs never came closer than that. Hull found her rhythm for VWU and allowed only one baserunner the rest of the way after Padilla's two-run shot.
Game 2 of the championship series is scheduled for Tuesday, June 1 at 11 a.m. ET. You can watch that right here on NCAA.com
End 5: Virginia Wesleyan's Hull finding rhythm in the circle
Virginia Wesleyan leads Texas Lutheran 4-2 with the Bulldogs down to their final six outs in game 1. Starting pitcher Hanna Hull (VWU) has really settled down getting hit hard early. Hull gave up a two-run blast to Haley Padilla in the top of the second inning, but has held the Bulldogs without a baserunner since.
The Marlins gave Hull early run support by tagging TLU starter Sydney Ouellette for four runs in the bottom of the first inning, most of which came on a three-run home run by Karlee Fretz. VWU has since loaded the bases in the bottom of the second and fifth innings, but were not been able to capitalize on either opportunity.
Texas Lutheran answers back, cutting deficit in half
Well, that didn't take long for Texas Lutheran to respond. The Bulldogs were able to halve the Marlins' lead and make it 4-2 going into the bottom of the second inning. Haley Padilla launched a two-run home run after Sarah Metzer reached on a one-out single. The blast was Padilla's 12th of the season.
Virginia Wesleyan erupts for four-run first inning
The bats of Virginia Wesleyan came ready to play in the 2021 DIII softball championship series as the Marlins raced out to a 4-0 lead over Texas Lutheran after one inning. Madison Glaubke got the scoring started with a rocket off the wall in center field for a standup triple. She came around to score on a fielder's choice after a backhand flip by pitcher Sydney Ouellette was too high for a play at the plate.
Julia Sinnett reached on that play and Danielle Stewart got aboard after a hit by pitch. That set up Karlee Fretz's laser of a three-run home run down the left field line. The Marlins' first trip to the plate went about as well as they could've planned.
Game 1: Virginia Wesleyan vs. Texas Lutheran
We're going dancing yeah!
— Virginia Wesleyan Athletics (@vwu_marlins) May 30, 2021
The No. 2 @VWUSOFTBALL Marlins will take on the No. 4 Bulldogs of Texas Lutheran Monday and Tuesday in a fight for the @NCAADIII National Championship Title! Game time tomorrow is 3 PM! #WeTheBeach #FearTheFish #CatchTheWavehttps://t.co/k4SLgJrCq4
First pitch of Game 1 of the DIII softball national championship series between Virginia Wesleyan and Texas Lutheran is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on Monday, May 31. You can follow along with the live stats and box score for Game 1 by clicking or tapping here.
Virginia Wesleyan, the No. 2 seed, and Texas Lutheran, the No. 4 seed, each won three games in the DIII softball championship bracket to reach the national championship series. Click or tap here to view the interactive tournament bracket.