NCAA D-III Softball: Linfield Rolls Over DePauw, 9-0

Linfield’s Stephanie Rice went 3 for 4, scored three times and drove in a pair of runs.

Linfield's Brittany Miller tied the single-season record with eighth shutout. Photo: Linfield Athletics

SALEM, Va. - Another day, another lopsided shutout victory for the Linfield Wildcats at the NCAA Division III Finals.

Brittany Miller fanned six DePauw batters and pitched a three-hitter to lead the Wildcats to a 9-0 six-inning win, sending the Northwest Conference and West Region champions into Sunday’s semifinal matchup against Washington-St. Louis. That game will start at 5:00 PM EDT.

And for the second straight day, Linfield hitters dominated a quality pitcher, racking up 13 hits on Tigers’ starter Megan Soultz, who came into the contest with 151 strikeouts and a glossy 0.78 earned run average.

Soultz looked mortal against the Wildcats, striking out just two batters while giving up four earned runs in six innings of action.

Linfield’s Stephanie Rice went 3 for 4, scored three times and drove in a pair of runs. Amanda Attleberger and Jena Loop both collected a pair of hits and drove in two runs.

Linfield led 1-0 after the first inning and 3-0 after three frames, but it was a five-run explosion in the sixth inning that delivered the knockout blow. RBI singles by Rice, Jenny Marshall and Meredith Brunette and a sacrifice fly by Loop to score Rice highlighted the inning.

Chelsey Patterson, Kaitlyn Davitt and Jessica Bowlds were the only Tigers to register hits.

Soultz took the loss to fall to 19-3.

DePauw (37-6), from Greencastle, Ind., is making its first NCAA Finals appearance. The Tigers play a noon elimination game Sunday against Plattsburgh State.

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