MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Maryville put a super scare into top-seeded and No. 6-ranked Berry before the Vikings survived and advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals.
MC's season ends at 35-13, one game shy of its first trip to the Supers.
Berry won three games Sunday, finishing off a 5-0 victory against Transylvania that was halted from the night before and then defeating the Scots twice by the scores of 7-6 and 11-0.
Maryville trailed 7-2 in Game 1 of the finals, only to rally for three runs in the last of the sixth inning to make it a more manageable 7-5. In the bottom of the seventh, things really got interesting.
So Close in the Seventh
Brecca Williams blooped a single to right and then
Sara Koonce and
Bailey Myers reached on infield singles to load the bases full of Scots with one out.
Micayla Clark was hit by a pitch, forcing in Koonce to make it 7-6 with still just one away.
But Berry's Hannah Gore induced a ground out force play at the plate and then struck out the final Scot chance to preserve the narrow decision.
The Vikings played to their top-seeded credentials in the second game, winning their program-record 45th game against just five losses and preventing Maryville from being the only No. 4 seed to reach the Super Regionals this year.
"It was a fun ride," Maryville head coach
Jill Moore said. "We knew what we were capable of all year, so I am really proud of this group how, at the right time, we were playing our best softball. And I know the seniors who are leaving the program represent the Orange and Garnet better than anyone.
"We were never out of that first game. We never gave up and we worked hard every pitch. It just didn't go our way today."
The Scots outhit Berry 10-8 in that first game, with two hits apiece from Williams, Myers, Clark and
Emily Hill. Six of those hits came in the last two innings. In that three-run sixth, Clark delivered a two-run triple and
Kaitlin Woodruff had a run-scoring double.
Ackerman, Hill Named All-Tournament
Hill for the tournament led the Scots in hits with five and average at .385 (5-for-13). She and Ackerman, who went 2-1 with a 2.49 ERA, were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Maryville ends the 2024 season with program records of 35 victories and a .729 winning percentage.
"I'm excited for the future," Moore said. "We've got to continue to have kids who have heart and want to work hard. If we keep getting the kind of players we had on this team, it will be really exciting for the Scots."
