The Hillsdale College softball team put a scare into Indianapolis, the seventh-ranked team in Division II, taking a 5-4 lead into the seventh inning of their elimination bracket final matchup on Friday.
But in the end, the Chargers couldn't hold a powerhouse Greyhounds lineup in check, conceding three runs to fall, 7-5, and bow out of the NCAA Midwest Regional in third place.
Hillsdale was competitive throughout with one of the top teams in the country, let alone the region. The Chargers took a 3-1 lead early with a big second inning, as Jenna Cantalupo drew a bases-loaded walk to get Hillsdale on the board, and setting up a two-run single by Natalie Stepanenko to put the Chargers ahead.
UIndy scored a run in each of the next three innings to take a 4-3 lead, but just when it looked like the Greyhounds had re-established control, the Chargers struck again. Hillsdale loaded the bases for a second time, and Madison Stoner tied the game on a RBI single. The Chargers went ahead in the next at-bat, as Sam Catron drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Chargers a 5-4 edge.
That left Hillsdale just three outs away from a first-ever NCAA Regional final appearance, but the Greyhounds rallied in the final inning, loading the bases and scoring three runs to pull ahead for good, eliminate the Chargers, and advance to Saturday.
Stepanenko, Stoner and Sarah Wojcik each finished with two hits to lead the Chargers, who had nine as a team and had a strong day against arguably the Midwest Region's best pitching staff.
On the mound for the Chargers, Camryn Olson took the loss but was strong throughout to give the Chargers a chance, pitching six and a third innings with one strikeout, and overcoming five walks to get Hillsdale to the precipice of an unprecedented third NCAA Tourney win in the same season.
Freshman Erin Kapteyn also did a solid job in relief, recording the last two outs with a strikeout and a walk and limiting the damage enough to give the Chargers a shot at rallying in the bottom of the seventh.
The loss ends one of the best seasons for the Charger softball team in school history. At 33-18, Hillsdale finished the year with the third most wins in a single season in program history, and set numerous individual and team school records, while bringing in an unprecedented haul of individual awards that will continue to grow in the coming weeks.
Hillsdale has major holes to fill with the graduations of Dana Weidinger, Catron, Wojcik, Emma Johnson and Julia Sayles, but several strong players coming back in 2022, as well as an exciting recruiting class, to look to continue to extend a run of success that's included three NCAA Tournament appearances in the last four seasons.
Photo Credit: Ashley Cefali/GVSU Athletics