SALISBURY, Md. – The top-ranked Salisbury University softball team clinched its return trip to the NCAA Championships on Saturday with a 4-0 victory over the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen in Game 2 of the 2023 NCAA Division III Softball Salisbury Super Regional.
Salisbury advances to its second consecutive NCAA Championships and 11th appearance overall. The Sea Gulls will head to Texas with a 44-3 overall record, just one win away from matching the program record for wins in a season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- LVC looked to get on the board first in the opening inning with a runner at third with two outs. Savannah Sheats got Kylie Balthaser to strike out to keep the game scoreless early.
- Salisbury got two runs across in the top of the third inning. After back-to-back singles by Abby Mace and Lindsey Windsor, Natalie Paoli singled to left to score both Mace and Windsor to put Salisbury ahead 2-0.
- Madi Lemon led off the fifth inning with a stolen base and stole second. Windsor doubled Salisbury's lead to 4-0 with a towering two-run blast over the left field wall.
- LVC threatened again in the bottom half of the sixth with the bases loaded and one out. Sheats struck out Mackenzie Willey and then forced Danni Holmes to ground out to Maddison Lednum at third to keep the Dutchmen with a zero in the run column.
- Nicole Ortega came in relief of Sheats in the seventh. Ortega stuck out Lexi Smith and retired Alden Partyka to ground out to send the Sea Gulls to Texas.
SALISBURY GAME NOTES
- Lindsey Windsor led the offense with 3-for-4 with her eighth home run of the season and two runs scored.
- Sam Flowers notched a pair of hits in three trips to the plate.
- Abby Mace and Madi Lemon each scored a run and recorded a hit.
- Natalie Paoli drove in two with her single in the third inning.
- Savannah Sheats (W) continued her perfect season in the circle with 6.1 innings of shutout ball. She struck out four and scattered five hits and three walks to earn her 13th win of the season.
LEBANON VALLEY GAME NOTES
- Lexi Smith led LVC with two hits.
- Erin Sinatra pitched five innings and allowed six hits and four runs with a strikeout.
UP NEXT
- Salisbury will await the seeding in the NCAA Championships, which start on Thursday, June 1 at East Texas Baptist in Marshall, Texas.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, and dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on-and-off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 22 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 196 conference championships and 44 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or on social media @SUSeaGulls.
