Issued: May 15, 2011 - Courtesy Luther College Sports Information
Luther Advances to NCAA Finals, May 20-24 in Salem, VA
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – For the second time in as many years the Luther College softball team captured an NCAA III Regional championship. This afternoon in Eau Claire, Wis., the Norse defeated University of St. Thomas 4-3, posting a 4-0 record during the four-day tournament.
Luther produced its four runs on eight hits and rode the arm of senior pitcher Lexy Determan to its 25th victory in a row. Kelsey Weindruch and Mallory Broderick both had two hits. Weindruch, Abby Christian and Elisa Smith all drove in a run.
Determan (25-2) went the distance in the circle allowing three runs on five hits. She walked four and struck out five. During one stretch she retired 11 in a row.
Jenny Brons, Lauran Snyder, Christian and Determan were named to the 15-player all-tournament team (complete list below)
Luther's region title is the firth in school history. The Norse have won titles in 1985, 1990, 1991, 2010 and again this year.
Luther (41-4) will travel to Salem, Va., May 20-24, for the NCAA III Softball Championships. Luther's highest finish at the national championships was fourth in in 1985 and 1990. Last year, the Norse finished fifth.
In other action earlier in the day, St. Thomas defeated Ripon College 7-0 to advance to the regional championship game. The Tommies, who beat Ripon 19-3 in five innings on Friday, battled to get 11 hits and seven runs today. They scored three in the first and two in the second, while adding one run in both the fifth and sixth innings. St. Thomas' Sydney Marquardt led the game with three hits while Emily Gregory and Kayla Boward each had two RBIs. Ripon finished the game with six hits, all coming from different players. Cassie Smith earned the win to improve to 13-1 on the season. She finished the game with three strikeouts.
View Full Schedule & Results | Tournament Stats Summary
All-Tournament Team
Catcher - Alli Jensen, Ripon
First Base - Cassie Bilotto, Ripon
Second Base - Chandron Duffy, St. Thomas
Shortstop - Jenny Brons, Luther
Third Base - Lauran Snyder, Luther
Outfield - Sydney Marquardt, St. Thomas
Outfield - Abby Christian, Luther
Outfield - Becky Eischens, St. Thomas
Pitcher - Lexy Determan, Luther
Pitcher - Rose Tusa, River Falls
Designated/Utility Player - Jessie Bester, River Falls
At-Large - Stephanie Rieuwpassa, Ripon
At-Large - Shawna Middleton, River Falls
At-Large - Genny Duffy, St. Thomas
At-Large - Ashley Goettl, River Falls
