1	2	3	4	5	6	7				R	H	E
Muskingum	0	0	2	0	0	0	0				2	7	1
Central	0	0	0	0	0	0	0				0	4	0

Muskingum climbs into driver's seat with 2-0 victory over Central

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — Saturday's winner's bracket game of the NCAA Division III National Championships turned out to be twice as nice for the Muskingum fastpitch softball team.

Not only did the Lady Muskies win the battle of unbeatens against Central, getting a two-out, two-run double from Chantelle Andrews en route to a 2-0 victory, but Muskingum also equaled the Division III record for consecutive wins with its 33rd straight triumph.

The victory, which propelled Muskingum into Sunday's 2:30 p.m. championship game, was also a bittersweet one, however. Lady Muskies' assistant coach John Wells passed away Friday evening, after collapsing while throwing batting practice prior to Muskingum's game against Saint Mary's University on Friday.

"I had a lot of people coming up to me in the dugout, telling me the things (Wells) would tell me," said Muskingum pitcher Dani Keiffer, who has pitched every post-season inning for the Lady Muskies. "Yesterday (in the Muskies' 2-0 win over defending national champion Saint Mary's) I felt physically stronger. But (Wellls' memory) gave me strength to pull through."

The Lady Muskies, wearing arm bands in remembrance of their former coach, scored the game's only runs in the third inning. After Tami Anglin struck out to open the inning, Jennifer Shay singled and moved to second on a ground out by Erin Zupko. Carla Kampschmidt was intentionally walked to put runners on first and second, setting up Andrews' two-run double.

"I think he did the right thing," said Muskingum coach Donna Newberry, on Central coach George Wares' decision to walk Kampschmidt. "But that's been the name of the game all year for us. Someone else stepped up and made them pay the piper."

This will be the second NCAA Division III national title game appearance for Newberry, who also guided the 1991 Lady Muskies women's basketball team to the championship game, where they lost to St. Thomas 73-55. Newberry is believed to be the only coach in NCAA history to have amassed 400 wins in two separate sports. The veteran coach has 567 softball wins — including a school-record 46 this season — and 403 basketball wins.

Keiffer went the distance to pick up the pitching win, allowing four hits, while walking none and striking out two. The Dutch had at least one runner on base in five of the seven innings, but could not push a run across against the veteran Keiffer.

Central, which drops to 40-9 overall, will now face the winner of Saturday's final game between Wheaton and Saint Mary's on Sunday at noon. The winner of that game advances to face the Lady Muskies in the 2:30 p.m. championship game. Should Muskingum lose the 2:30 p.m. game, an if necessary game will be played Monday at 11 a.m.