1	2	3	4	5	6	7				R	H	E
Central	0	0	0	1	0	1	1				3	9	1
Roanoke	0	0	0	0	0	0	1				1	5	1

Central improves to 2-0 in tournament with 3-1 victory over Roanoke

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — Central came within one out of its second straight national-tournament shutout, before settling for a 3-1 victory over Roanoke in one of two winner's bracket games of the NCAA Division III National Championships at Gelein Field.

Libby Hysell allowed just six base runners — surrendering five singles and a walk — en route to her team-leading 23rd win of the season and her second of the tournament. The sophomore right-hander pitched an inning of hitless relief in earning the win in Central's touranment-opening 1-0 victory over Ithaca. Hysell (23-6) walked just the one batter and finished with 10 strikeouts.

With the victory, the Dutch's fifth straight, Central moves into Saturday's 4 p.m. winner's bracket game against the winner of Friday's late game betrween defending national champion Saint Mary's and Muskingum. Roanoke (42-10), meanwhile, will face Wheaton, a 5-4 winner over William Paterson earlier Friday in Saturday's 11 a.m. elimination game.

The Dutch (40-8) scored their run in the fourth on an RBI squeeze bunt by Kelly Oliver. Denise Barnard and Kris Hughes led off the inning with back-to-back singles and Annie Van Wetzinga sacrificed the two to second and third with one out, and Oliver followed with her squeeze bunt, with Barnard beating the throw home for the game's first run.

Central then padded its lead to 3-0 with single runs in the sixth and seventh — the first on Roanoke third baseman Kelly Gouldthorpe's error trying to tag out Mary Vande Hoef trying to score, and the second on Kris Hughes' RBI groundout.

Roanoke threatened in the bottom of the seventh, getting an unearned run when Oliver, Central's first baseman, could not handle the throw from third baseman Missy Voigt on Crystal Hileman grounder, allowing Gouldthorpe to score from third. Crystal Berry allowed Voigt to redeem herself as she grounded out third-to-first for the game's final out.

Molly Parrott collected three of Central's nine hits, going 3-for-4 with a run scored, while Van Wetzinga was 2-for-3. Gouldthorpe went 2-for-3 and scored the lone run for the Maroons.