Muhlenberg Box Score | Ursinus Box Score

COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Gettysburg College softball team kept its conference title hopes alive and dashed those of defending champion and host Ursinus College, ousting the top seed with a 1-0 victory in the Centennial Conference Tournament. Earlier in the day, the third-seeded Bullets dropped an 8-5 decision to No. 2 Muhlenberg College as the Mules plated five runs in their final at bat, including a walk-off grand slam.

Junior Sarah Woodbury (Audubon, Pa./Mt. St. Joseph Academy) posted five hits and three RBI on the afternoon for Gettysburg (27-10-1), including driving in the only run against Ursinus (28-10). Junior Beth McCullough (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead) shut down the host's bats, allowing only five hits and striking three en route to her third shutout of the year.

With both teams facing elimination after heartbreaking losses to Muhlenberg and Haverford College, two of the top pitchers in the CC took the mound and faced off in a classic battle. McCullough allowed a base runner in all but the sixth inning, but effectively shut down any threats. The Bears' best chance to score came in the fourth when a pair of runners reached third base. The first was eliminated on a fielder's choice at the plate and the second was erased on a pick-off play after a walk as freshman catcher Adrienne Rahs (Bethlehem, Pa./Saucon Valley) gunned a throw to senior Jessica Wallick (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg) who slapped the tag on the desperate diving runner.

The only run came in the bottom of the third. After sophomore Megan Lott (Bellsville, Md./Pallotti) smacked a deep ball to the fence in left for the first out, the top pitcher and top player in the conference went toe-to-toe with Bullets senior Erin Ober (Lutherville, Md./Dulaney) winning the battle against Ursinus' Lauren Davis with a triple to right-center. She didn't have to wait long to touch the plate as Woodbury knocked a single into the gap in right-center.

Ursinus had the tying run at third with two outs in its last trip to the plate, but McCullough got the pinch hitter to fly to right field to close the win. She improved to 14-3 on the season.

Rahs and sophomore Caitlin Bay (Flemington, N.J./Immaculata) each added singles for Gettysburg, while freshman Catrina DelGais (Airmont, N.Y./Suffern) posted a single and a walk in her two plate appearances. Lott, the national leader in sacrifice hits, recorded a sacrifice in her first trip to the plate, giving her two for the day and setting a new school standard with 22 on the season.

In the opening game, Muhlenberg plated the first run, but the Bullets bounced back in third with a pair of runs. DelGais led off with a double and came around to score on a hit ball by senior Nicole Yannotta (Whippany, N.J./Whippany Park), who in turn crossed the plate on a single by Woodbury. Woodbury brought in Yannotta again in the fifth to stake Gettysburg to a 3-1 lead.

The Mules came back in the bottom half of the fifth to tie the game as Ashley Brewer connected on a two-run home run to left-center off senior Kristy Rubino (Parsippany, N.J./Parsippany).

Brewer took over mound duties for Muhlenberg in the sixth inning and was greeted by a single by Wallick through the left side. After a sacrifice bunt advanced the runner, DelGais picked up her second hit of the game with a single to score the pinch runner from second base. Gettysburg added an insurance run in the seventh, this time with Woodbury scoring on a single by pinch-hitter Megan MacNabb (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park).

The Bullets got a pop up to short to start the bottom of the final frame, but Muhlenberg knocked four consecutive singles to cut the deficit to 5-4 and keep the bases loaded. Samantha Crist, who came in with a .217 batting average, picked an opportune time for her second home run of the season, connecting on the pitch from Rubino and putting the ball outside the left-centerfield fence.

Woodbury finished 4-for-4 with two RBI and a run for the Bullets. Wallick tallied three hits in four plate appearances and DelGais was 2-for-4 with a run and RBI.

Gettysburg now awaits the winner of Saturday's fourth and final game being played between Muhlenberg and Haverford. The Bullets will meet the loser on Sunday, May 3, at 10 a.m. at Ursinus' Eleanor Frost Snell Field. The final contest to decide the Centennial champion will take place shortly after the conclusion of Sunday's first tilt.