From staff reports
NEOSHO, Mo. —
The Crowder College softball team reached the championship round of the NJCAA Division I Region XVI Tournament by beating Three Rivers 3-1 in the winners’ bracket final on Saturday.
The ’Lady Riders, 41-16 under Lori Videmschek, are 2-0 in the six-team, double-elimination tourney.
Three Rivers, Poplar Bluff, earned another shot at Crowder with a 3-2 win against Jefferson, Hillsboro, in the losers’ bracket final on the Crowder diamond.
Three Rivers, needing two wins, challenges Crowder at noon today. Another game, if necessary, will follow at approximately 2 p.m. The title round originally was to start at 10 a.m. but was moved back because of anticipated weather, Videmschek said.
The Missouri winner plays host to the Iowa champion next weekend in a best-of-3 district series to determine a qualifier for the World Series.
Crowder received a four-hitter from sophomore right-hander Kaily Harvey against Three Rivers. She struck out five, walked none and hit a batter.
Crowder scored two runs in the top of the fourth inning on a single by Morgan Coleman, a sacrifice/error allowing Navada Campos to reach, a sacrifice by Kala Crisp and a two-run double by Sarah Sagely.
Three Rivers scored a run in the bottom of the fourth inning. But Crowder answered in the fifth by scoring its final run on a single by Brooke Hulsey, a sacrifice by Carson Forge, an illegal pitch moving Hulsey to third and a single by Coleman.
Videmschek said that Harvey (25-8), a graduate of McDonald County High School, is the probable starting pitcher in today’s noon contest.
Jefferson beat Maple Woods 3-2 and eliminated St. Charles 6-5 to reach the losers’ final.
