UIC, Butler to Play for Softball Championship After Cleveland State, Valparaiso Eliminated on Day Three

2011 Horizon League Softball Championship Bracket (as of May 13) | Horizon League Softball Championship Stats

CHICAGO -- UIC and Butler will play for the 2011 Horizon League Softball Championship title on Saturday, after Cleveland State and Valparaiso were eliminated on day three of the tournament.  UIC enters the matchup needing one win to claim the Horizon League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, while Butler will need to knock off the Flames twice.

Game 7: No. 2 Valparaiso 2, No. 4 Cleveland State 1
After a shaky first inning, Alex Lagesse allowed just one hit the rest of the way, setting the stage for Valparaiso's 2-1 comeback win over Cleveland State in an elimination game on Friday.

KC Boldt snapped a 1-1 tie in the top of the sixth, lining a home run to straightaway center to lead off the inning against Cleveland State (29-21) starter Tess Sito (25-18).  Lagesse (13-12) would take care of the rest, setting down the Vikings in order in the sixth and working around a two-out single in the seventh to send Valparaiso (34-20-1) to an elimination game later in the afternoon.

The right-hander settled down after a rocky start to the game, in which a two out single by Sito got the Vikings rolling.  Dara Toman followed with a walk, and Andrea Nagy smashed a single off the glove of Sadie Conner, with shortstop Angie Doerffler's flip back to Conner sailing over the third baseman's head, allowing Sito to score.

The Crusaders would scratch across the tying run in the fourth, as Sara Strickland reached on an error and moved to third on Boldt's double down the left field line.  After Sito recorded the first out of the inning on a strikeout, Conner legged out a grounder to the shortstop, with Strickland eluding the tag at the plate after the throw came home from first base.

Game 8: No. 5 UIC 2, No. 3 Butler 1
Jenny Esparza held UIC (24-21) at bay for most of the game, but the Flames rallied in the bottom of the seventh to stun Butler, 2-1, and advance to the Horizon League Championship game on Saturday afternoon.

Ashley Hewett started the Flames' rally, clubbing a monstrous homer off of Esparza (16-9), the League Pitcher of the Year, to knot the game at 1 with one out in the seventh.  Courtney Heeley reached on a fielders choice before Teresa Aguilar worked a walk to put the winning run in scoring position.  Pinch hitter Claire Donyanavard then found the hole between third and short, with Aguilar beating Lauren McNutly's throw home to stun Butler (30-23).

Esparza had dominated for most of the afternoon, holding UIC to two hits entering the seventh while striking out 11 on the afternoon.  At the plate, Esparza went 3-for-3 collecting over half of Butler's hits against Flames starter Devin Miller (16-15), who struck out 10 while stranding 11 Bulldogs.

Game 9: No. 3 Butler 5, No. 2 Valparaiso 4
Butler responded to a late deficit with two runs in the fifth inning and held on late for a 5-4 win over Valparaiso in the loser's bracket semifinal.  A surprise bunt from Erin Falkenberry plated the tying run before a wild pitch gave Butler (31-23) the lead for good.

Mallory Winters got the rally started after Valparaiso (34-21-1) took a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth on a double steal.  Winters reached on an error, and with Krista Hakola running for her, Erin Jackson scratched out an infield single.  After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners up 60 feet, Falkenberry dropped down a surprising squeeze bunt, plating Hakola to tie the game.

Alex Lagesse, coming in relief for Valpo, struck out the next batter, but a 1-0 wild pitch with Jessica Huey at the plate allowed Jackson to cross the plate and put Butler ahead, 4-3.  The Bulldogs would tack on an insurance run in the sixth, as Winters would plate pinch runner Callie Denison with a single.

Valparaiso pressured Butler pitcher Jenny Esparza in the seventh, scoring a run on a sacrifice fly, but Esparza struck out KC Boldt to end the game with the tying and winning runs on base.

The teams traded two runs apiece early in the contest, with Esparza striking a two-run homer in the bottom of the second, only to see the Crusaders tie the game in their half of the third on a fielders choice and an infield single.