Kohawks Win Pitchers Duel to Defeat No. 3 MSOE in Opening Round of NCAA Regionals

5/21/2021 9:35:30 PM

WAVERLY, Iowa -- After a lengthy battle with rain in Waverly this morning, the game finally got underway and the Coe College Kohawks (25-13) open 2021 NCAA Regional play with a hard fought 1-0 pitchers duel against the Raiders of the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) Friday afternoon at Lynes Field in Waverly, Iowa on the campus of Wartburg College.

With an originally scheduled start time of 2:00 p.m., the first pitch wasn't thrown from Lynes Field until 6:25 p.m. Like the start of the game, the lone run of didn't show up until late in the game. In a low scoring pitcher's duel, runs were at a premium. The Kohawks finally broke the scoreless tie in the top half of the fifth inning. Sophomore Keera Ball led off the inning with a double and, two batters later, sophomore Ruby Kappeler singled to drive in Ball. That would be all that Ellie Thurow needed to secure the Coe victory, sending the Kohawks into the winner's bracket.

The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Pitcher of the Year, Thurow tossed a gem for Coe. The sophomore tossed a complete game shutout, while only allowing three MSOE hits in the 28 batters she faced from the circle. She struck out two, while issuing one walk and hit one batter. Thurow pitched her 11th complete game of the season and her second shutout.

The win marks the fifth-straight NCAA Division III softball tournament that the American Rivers Conference has had at least one victory in regional play. For the fourth-straight NCAA tournament (2017-19, 2021), head coach Diane Meyer has led the Kohawks to at least one win in regional play, including an appearance in the regional finals in 2017 and 2018.

The Kohawks advance to face the No. 2-seed in the Waverly Region, the Tommies of University of St. Thomas (Minn.) out of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). The Tommies defeated Webster (20-11) 5-1 earlier in the afternoon. St. Thomas entered this year's tournament as the AQ bid from the MIAC, defeating No. 1-seed in the Waverly Regional in the MIAC championship game. First pitch is set for noon (12:00 p.m.) on Saturday, May 22 from Lynes Field on the campus of Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa.
 
Don't forget to become a fan of the American Rivers Conference on Facebook @AmericanRiversConference, Twitter @AmerRiversConf, and Instagram @AmericanRiversConference.