MARION, Indiana - The No. 2-seeded Marian College softball team knocked off No. 3-seeded Spring Arbor on Tuesday afternoon, 6-4, to advance to the winner's bracket final in the MCC Tournament on Wednesday.

 

The Knights improved to 35-7 with the win and will now take on No. 1-seeded Bethel College, which was an 11-1 winner over host Indiana Wesleyan.

 

The Cougars opened the ballgame with a run in the top of the first inning by manufacturing the run with a pair of singles and a sacrifice bunt to take a 1-0 lead.

 

The Knights could not seem to find their rhythm at the plate as they could not get to the SAU pitcher, that is, until the bottom of the fourth.

 

They posted six runs, five unearned, as the Spring Arbor defense seemed to implode as it committed three errors and allowed the Knights four hits on the inning.

 

Senior Samantha Hypes (Plainfield, Indiana/Plainfield) started the inning with a walk and senior Amanda Teagardin (Indianapolis/Southport) ripped a double down the left field line putting two on with nobody out. Junior Melissa Coutz (Indianapolis/Bishop Chatard) drove Hypes home with an RBI-fielder's choice to tie the game, 1-1.

 

It was at that point that little went right for the Cougars. A fielding error by the pitcher allowed junior Chelsea Young (Brownsburg, Indiana/Brownsburg) to reach base. Junior Angie Such (Brownsburg, Indiana/Brownsburg) made SAU pay with a two-run single to make the score 3-1.

 

Freshman Kelsey Uebelhor (St. Anthony, Indiana/Forest Park) reached on an error allowing Such to score, and sophomore Jessica Slayton (Indianapolis/Decatur Central) singled to right field and a fielding error allowed Uebelhor to score to put the Knights up 5-1. Sophomore Chelsea Bell (Indianapolis/Franklin Central) finished the inning with an RBI-single to give the Knights the 6-1 lead.

 

The Cougars regrouped and fought back in the sixth when they put two runners on base to open the inning. A three-run home run put the Cougars right back in the ballgame, 6-4, but a bases-loaded, one-out situation was squandered and left the Knights with a 6-4 advantage.

 

Senior Heather Pieper (Greenwood, Indiana/Greenwood) finished off her 18th complete game of the season as she earned her 19th win of the campaign. She went the distance, allowed 11 hits, four earned runs, and struck out four to improve to 19-3 on the season.

 

Coutz led the way for the Knights after she went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Such finished 1-for-3 with two RBI.

 

The Knights will battle the No. 1-seeded Bethel College Pilots in the winner's bracket final at Wildcat Field on Thursday. First pitch is slated for 10 a.m. with the winner advancing to the championship game.