GREENCASTLE, Ind. -
Abbey Gamble and
Sydney Moroney each drove in two runs,
Blair Hall went six solid innings in the circle and No. 10 Berry defeated Hiram, 6-1, to win the Greencastle Regional of the 2022 NCAA D-III Softball Championship.
"It's just so exciting to see them all peaking at the right time," said Berry head coach
Emily Stanley. "I'm just really proud of how far this team has come and how much more they have in them."
The win moves the Vikings into the Super Regional round for the first time since 2018. Berry (32-11) will be matched up with Bethel, which won its regional after a 15-inning victory over Washington University to force an "if" game, then won 6-5 on a walkoff in the seventh inning.
For the third game of the regional, Berry took a lead in the first inning.
Morgan Frye, an All-Region Tournament selection, drove in
Katie White with an RBI single in the bottom of the frame to make it 1-0. With Frye going to second on the throw home, a runner stood in scoring position for
Shelby Daniel. The sophomore came through with a single to right center, scoring Frye to give the Vikings a 2-0 advantage early.
In the second, the bottom third of the order came through for another Vikings tally. After Gamble singled and stole second, Moroney singled back up the middle to plate the senior and make it 3-0.
"I think it's good that we got to execute. I think we're all really strong and we just came through this weekend," said Moroney.
The score remained the same over the middle innings, with Hall, another All-Region Tournament selection, pitching a gem in the circle. The sophomore gave up just two hits through five innings, but in the sixth, Hiram would manufacture a run to cut the lead to two, 3-1.
In the bottom of the inning, the Vikings put the game away. With the bases loaded, Gamble singled to center to score Frye and Daniel and make it 5-1. Moroney would finish her two-RBI game one batter later as her single scored Hall for a 6-1 margin.
"Our job at the bottom of the lineup is to flip the lineup over and to get the bat back in their hands," said Gamble. "To be able to do that is really important for us, whether that's by playing small ball or hitting the ball hard into the outfield."
In the seventh, Coach Stanley made sure that Hiram wouldn't come back as Regional Most Outstanding Player
Hannah Gore came in for the final three outs, striking out two of the three batters she faced to send the Vikings to the Super Regionals.
Moroney joined Gore, Frye, and Hall as an All-Regional Tournament selection.
The Vikings will be the only team seeded No. 4 in a regional to advance to the Super Regional round. Final determinations of sites will be made by the NCAA Tuesday.