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

Wheaton rides the pitching arm of Demling to 4-1 win over Roanoke

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — Wheaton rode the pitching of freshman Jackie Demling to a 4-1 victory over Roanoke in a loser's bracket elimination game Saturday afternoon at the NCAA Division III National Championships at Gelein Field.

Demling, who entered the game having pitched every inning of the Lyons' last six games — including a complete-game nine-inning, nine-strikeout effort in Wheaton's 5-4 win over William Paterson on Friday — pitched the six innings against the Maroons, allowing just five hits, all singles, while walking just one and striking out eight. Christine Hineline gave Demling a breather, pitching a 1-2-3 seventh as Wheaton advanced to Saturday's 6:30 p.m. game against the winner of the Saint Mary's-North Central game.

Wheaton jumped out to a 3-0 lead after four innings, before Roanoke finally plated a run against Demling. Maren Schrader led off the Lyons' third with a single, stole second, was sacrificed to third by Jill D'Arcy and scored on a two-out wild pitch. The Lyons padded their lead to 3-0 in the fourth, as Rachael Powers walked and Brianna Shawah singled to center to give Wheaton runners on first and second with no out. Powers then stole third and scored when Roanoke catcher Holly Morris' throw skipped into left field. Amanda Dow-Allen's two-out RBI double to right accounted for Wheaton's second run of the inning.

The Maroons cut the gap to 3-1 on an RBI single by Rachel Capozzi, in the top of the sixth but Wheaton regained its three-run advantage in the bottom of the inning with an unearned run.

Powers, who entered Saturday's game as the tournament's batting leader with a .750 average, did nothing to relinquish that position, going 2-for-2 with two runs scored against Roanoke. Dow-Allen, meanwhile, drove in two of the Lyons' four runs.