Spartans Win Conference Tournament Opener
May 4, 2013 | UD Sports Info
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The University of Dubuque can cross another first off it's list this season, the Spartans won the opening game of the 2013 Iowa Conference Softball Tournament in thrilling fashion on Saturday. It was UD's first win in the conference tournament and for the Spartans fans it was beyond exciting. The #5-seeded Spartans upset the #4-seeded Simpson College Storm by a 2-1 margin.
UD trailed early after the Storm scored in the bottom of the first inning. Throughout the rest of the game, it was a pitcher's dual until the Spartan's Amber Meyer garnered the first and only UD hit of the afternoon in the top of the sixth inning. Meggie Schmidt earned a walk as Meyer came up to bat. Meyer connected on a hard hit ball over centerfield to get a hit, a two run homerun to take the lead. It was Meyer's fifth homerun of the season.
Simpson had bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but after a brief chat with coach Wendi Wipperfurth to the Spartans pitcher Emily Michels calmed her down. Michels used a variety of pitches to earn the three hit victory. She faced 26 batters and struck out six in the upset victory. Michels set a new school record for wins in a season with her 12th win of the year. It was the Spartans third win over the Storm this season, who finished the regular season with a 29-10 record.
UD (16-17 overall) will now face the top-seeded Coe College Kohawks (31-5 overall) on Sunday, May 5 at 11:00 a.m. The winner of Sunday's game will play for the IIAC Tournament Championship at 3:00 p.m.
Tournament Schedule:
#5-seed UD Vs. #1-seed Coe at 11:00 a.m.
#3-seed Luther (26-9) Vs. #2-Seed Central (28-7 overall) at 1:00 p.m.
3:00 p.m. - Winner of Semi-final Game #1 Vs. Winner of Semi-final Game#2 for IIAC Tournament Championship and the NCAA Automatic bid into the 2013 NCAA Division III National Softball Championships.
