The Missouri Western softball team won two games in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history today as they needed ten innings to defeat Central Missouri 3-1 and then dominated Abilene Christina 11-2 in the second contest.

With the victories the Griffons move to the regional finals against second seeded Southeastern Oklahoma State. Western will have to defeat the Savage Strom twice tomorrow, Sunday, May 10 with the first game starting at 1:00 pm from
Durant, Okla.

In game one the Griffons had to battle back from a first inning home run by Kelli Kurka of Central Missouri, battle through a delay due to lightening in the area and go ten innings to defeat the Jennies 3-1 in the first elimination game of the South Central Regional tournament.

 Allison Jones battled the Jennies tough all day long as she went all ten innings giving up just five hits and one earned run while striking out six and stranding eight Central Missouri base runners. Jones improves to 26-5 with the victory.

Megan Leonard would pitch well for Central Missouri going 9 1/3 innings giving up 10 hits and striking out 11. Leonard falls to 18-4 with the loss.

Western’s Becky Diehl would open up the seventh inning with an infield hit and would tie the game on a Tyann Williamson single back to the pitcher. Heading into the ninth inning the two teams would have to take cover due to a lightening delay.

When play resumed neither team could get anything going in the ninth. Western would shut down the Jennies in the tenth and then it was the Griffons turn. After an out by Kasey Smith, Mandie Nocita would single to right field and Brittany Douglas would step to the plate and take the first pitch from Leonard over the center field wall to end the game.

Central ends their season with a 36-14 overall record.