Virginia Wesleyan Claims Their Third DIII NCAA Title
Virginia Wesleyan Claims Their Third DIII NCAA Title
Virginia Wesleyan takes home the NCAA DIII title for the third time in the last four tourneys.
SALEM, Va. — Tournament Most Outstanding Pitcher Hanna Hull tossed a five-hitter and All-Tournament selection Ariana Rolle had three hits, including an RBI single in the fifth that triggered the run rule, giving Virginia Wesleyan its third NCAA Division III national championship in the past four tournaments on Tuesday at the Moyer Sports Complex.
Four-time NFCA All-American Hull struck out four while winning her NCAA Division III-record 131rd career game, and fellow All-American and tournament Most Outstanding Player Jessica Goldyn homered to lead off the two-run first for the (46-6-1) Marlins in a 9-1 victory.
Danielle Stewart also homered and joined All-Tournament selection Katelyn Biando with two RBI in the game for Virginia Wesleyan, also won back-to-back crowns in 2017 and 2018. They needed the winner-take-all third contest after reigning titlist Texas Lutheran won game two of the best-of-three championship series, 3-2, earlier in the day.
All-American Rebecca Snow finally got the (36-6) Bulldogs on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth, bringing home All-American and All-Tournament selection Kelly Jurden with a one-out sacrifice fly to make sure Virginia Wesleyan would have to bat in the fifth.
Texas Lutheran 3, Virginia Wesleyan 2
In the first game of the day, Texas Lutheran jumped out to a 2-0 edge in the first inning and rebuffed the Marlins’ late rally to even the finals series at a game apiece. The Bulldogs added an insurance run in the sixth on All-Tournament selection Skylar Ouellette’s RBI single, that proved big when Virginia Wesleyan scored twice in their final at-bat.
Goldyn tripled in both Marlin runs to make things interesting in the seventh against winning pitcher Ashlyn Strother (complete game, seven hits, five strikeouts).
Virginia Wesleyan won the opening game of the championship series on Monday, behind Hull’s seven-strikeout two-hitter.
NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team
Most Outstanding Pitcher: Hanna Hull, Virginia Wesleyan
Most Outstanding Player: Jessica Goldyn, Virginia Wesleyan
Annie Clayton, Birmingham-Southern
Kierstin Anderson-Glass, St. Thomas (Minn.)
Cami Henry, DePauw
Kelsey Bernhard, DePauw
Coryn Jacobson, St. Thomas (Minn.)
Kelly Jurden, Texas Lutheran
Katelyn Biando, Virginia Wesleyan
Skylar Ouelette, Texas Lutheran
Julia Sinnett, Virginia Wesleyan
Haley Padilla, Texas Lutheran
Ariana Rolle, Virginia Wesleyan
Sarah Metzer, Texas Lutheran