GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Haverford College softball team pushed No. 11 Messiah to the brink on Sunday as the Fords forced a decisive game three in the NCAA Super Regional following a 6-5 victory in the completion of Saturday's suspended game. However, the Fords' run through the postseason – which featured six elimination game victories – was stopped with a 3-1 victory from host Messiah.
With the win, Messiah advances to next week's NCAA Division III College World Series. The Fords finish the season with their deepest NCAA Tournament run in program history. Haverford's Class of 2016 also graduates with a program-record 108 victories during its four years as the four seniors were a part of four of the five winningest seasons in program history.
Haverford carried a 6-2 lead into Sunday's first game thanks to a huge first inning on Saturday. Nevertheless, Messiah did not go down quietly as it recorded leadoff extra base hits in each of its first three innings up to bat on Sunday. The Falcons made the score 6-3 when they scored that leadoff triple in the third inning, but the Fords cut down that leadoff runner in the fourth.
Messiah brought the game within a single run following two more runs in the fifth. Emily Winesett came on to start that inning and stranded two runners on base in the frame to hold onto the lead as she induced a foul ball that was taken by Julia Blake.
Winesett went on to pitch a scoreless sixth inning as she stranded a leadoff single before Kendall Chambers came in to save the win for Sara Tauriello. Tauriello's win was her ninth of the season and adds to her program-record 44 career wins. She also graduates with the program record in ERA (1.77), opponent's batting average (.224), and strikeouts (384). Chambers' save was her fifth of the season.
The Fords also got the early jump in game two with a run in the top of the first. Rachel Wolfson started the winner-take-all game with a single into left centerfield and was bunted into scoring position by Blake. Kristin Tatum drove in the Fords' go-ahead run with a single into left field.
Chambers did not allow a runner to reach scoring position in either of the first two innings, but the Falcons knotted the game at one-all with an unearned run in the third. Haverford had a runner in scoring position with a chance to retake the lead in the third, fourth, and fifth innings. Their best chance came in the fifth when Wolfson and Blake both singled before the Falcons left two runners stranded on the base paths.
Haverford outhit Messiah by an 8-4 margin in the series' final game. However, it would be Messiah who came away the winner thanks to two runs in the fifth inning. The Falcons got a leadoff double that proved to be the game-winning run. However, Tauriello came on to pitch and stranded the bases loaded with a fly ball to center and ground out to second to give her team a chance.
The Fords threatened in the sixth as Alex Craig singled with two down before a ground ball got Messiah out of the sixth with the lead. The Falcons' Courtney Allen got through the seventh for her 25th win of the season just hours after the Fords officially gave Messiah's ace her first defeat of the year.