MONTCLAIR, NJ – Freshman Jaclyn Merkel (Linthicum, MD) broke open a 1-1 game with a sixth-inning two-run blast to center field, lifting Messiah (40-4) to a 3-1 victory against Ohio Northern (39-5) during Game Two of the 2009 NCAA Division III Softball Championship May 15 at Montclair State University.  The Falcons will play Gustavus Adolphus in a winner’s bracket game Saturday, May 16, at 4:00 p.m., while the Polar Bears will face Texas-Tyler in an elimination game at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.

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Neither team threatened until the bottom of the third inning, when freshman Lauren Seneca (Bethlehem, PA) dropped a leadoff single just past the bag and into left field, and moved to second base thanks to an Ashley Lehman (Lancaster, PA) sacrifice.  Freshman Abi Buchler (Fenwick Island, DE) then grounded a ball up the middle, a base hit that was enough to score Seneca from second and give Messiah an early 1-0 lead.

Ohio Northern answered with a single run of its own during the top of the fifth.  Freshman Jackie Mangola (Cranberry Twp., PA) started the frame with a base hit to left, advanced to second on a Cassie Gaye (Mayfield Heights, OH) sacrifice, and following a pop-up, scored when pitcher Cortney Cash (Chicago Heights, IL) hit the line in right field with her RBI-single.  Messiah freshman ace Jessica Rhoads (Dillsburg, PA) got out of the inning with a foul-out down the line in left, and despite giving up two one-out walks in the top of the sixth, she induced a pop-up to second base and a foul-out to the first baseman to keep it a 1-1 score in the middle of the sixth.

Buchler drew a walk to start the home half of the sixth for the Falcons, and was promptly lifted for pinch runner Rebecca Stackhouse (Barrington, NJ), who moved up 60 feet after a Rebekkah Funk (Carlisle, PA) sacrifice bunt.  Merkel then strode to the plate and belted a Cash offering over the center-field fence, handing the Falcons the two-run lead.

The Polar Bears again threatened during the top of the seventh when Gaye led off with a single to right field and freshman Katie Cretin (Carmel, IN) doubled to right to give Ohio Northern runners on second and third with zero outs.  However, Rhoads got Cash to swing at a low and inside pitch for a strikeout, induced an Amanda Fought (Toledo, OH) foul-out to left, and finished with a Liz Decima (Freedom, PA) pop-up that Seneca tracked down behind third base and caught for the game’s final out.

Seneca was 2-for-2 and scored a run, while Buchler, Funk, Merkel and Rhoads each had a hit for Messiah.  Rhoads improved to 25-1 inside the circle by striking out nine and walking two in 7.0 innings, allowing six hits and one run.

Cash paced Ohio Northern with her 2-for-3 effort at the plate, driving in the Polar Bears’ lone run, but she suffered the loss (28-3) after surrendering three runs on six hits, walking one Falcon and striking out three.