Rowan Softball Post 5-1 Victory in 1st Game of Div. III Super Regional
Saturday, May 27, 2023
ASHLAND, VA -- #20 Rowan posted a 5-1 victory over #9 Randolph-Macon in the first game of the Division III Super Regional on Saturday behind the arm of Rylee Lutz and key hits from Payton MacNair and Cat Thomas.
The Profs take the first game of the best-of-three series as the teams meet again tomorrow at 1 p.m. and an if necessary game soon after with a trip to the Division III Championship series in Marshall, Texas next week on the line.
Lutz allowed one run on two hits with five K's and three walks to raise her record to 23-5 this season. The sophomore kept the Yellow Jackets without a hit for six innings getting 1-2-3 frames in the third and sixth and double plays to end the first and fourth. MacNair's solo home run in the fifth put the Profs on the board for her third longball on the year. Thomas added an RBI single in the frame and later some important breathing room with a huge three-run homer to right in the seventh for a 5-0 lead. The home run was Thomas' team-leading ninth.
Randolph-Macon looked to threaten in its final at-bat, getting a run across and later loading the bases with two outs. A substitution error on a misreported player by the Yellow Jackets would cause the third out.
MacNair was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and was a triple shy of the cycle while Thomas tied a career-high with four RBIs, gong 2-for-4 officially. McKenzie Melvin also added two hits as the Profs attained the 40-win plateau for the first time since the 2016 season.
The Yellow Jacket's Gracie Ellis suffered the loss (7.0 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K), but added the lone RBI in the seventh.