ITHACA, N.Y. -- The sixth-seeded Polytechnic Fighting Blue Jays (32-10) beat the seventh-seeded Dickinson Red Devils (19-19) 2-1 in the Friday's second game of the NCAA Division III Softball Regional being hosted by Ithaca College. The Fighting Blue Jays will face either Cortland or Alfred at 10 a.m. Saturday in another elimination game; Dickinson has been eliminated from the tournament.
Miranda Merilli picked up the win, raising her season mark to 22-7, in the match-up of first-time NCAA playoff participants. Merilli allowed five hits and didn't walk a batter. She struck out five Red Devils and shut Dickinson out over the final 6.2 innings.
Polytechnic scored a pair of third-inning runs to erase Dickinson's early lead. After a leadoff single by senior center fielder Natasha Taylor, Freshman shortstop Shelby Bruns beat out a bunt and when the throw to first wound up in right field she reached third with Taylor scoring the tying run. Freshman right fielder Annamaire Smith followed with an RBI double to bring in the go-ahead run.
Freshman catcher Natalia Stockinger, who had two of the Fighting Blue Jays' six hits, led off the fourth with a single then scored an insurance run on a passed ball after advancing to third on a pair of infield outs. Smith also added two hits.
Junior catcher Emma Murtaugh drove in the Dickinson run with a one-out double in the first that scored senior left fielder Mary Kate Flannery, who'd led off the game with a single.
Senior Allison Jordan struck out seven for Dickinson and allowed six hits and a pair of walks.
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