In the opening game of the five-team, double elimination event, the No. 4 seeded Lady Cougars (20-16) got off to a great start against No. 5 seed Walsh University (20-28), the defending tournament champions, as MVNU scored three times in the bottom of the first inning. Freshman outfielder MacKenzie Shaw tripled to lead off the inning and came around to score on an RBI-triple by junior catcher Caitlin Murphy (left) one out later as Murphy also scored on the play as a result of an error. Later in the inning, junior outfielder Lauretta Wallace doubled in another run to make it 3-0.

The Lady Cougars went right back to work offensively in the bottom of the second inning when MVNU extended its lead to 6-0 with three more runs. Senior third baseman Karly Clay had an RBI-single with two outs and Murphy followed with a two-run homer to centerfield - her second of the season.

Shaw’s infield single with two outs in the bottom of the third inning made it 7-0. Then, a wild pitch and a passed ball in the bottom of the fourth inning ballooned the lead to 9-0 in favor of the Lady Cougars.

The Lady Cavaliers avoided being shut out in the top of the fifth inning when Erica Kreiling blasted a home run to leftfield after the first two batters had struck out. However, it was too little too late as MVNU won the mercy-rule shortened game 9-1.

Senior right-hander Candace White (18-11) picked up the win for the Lady Cougars as she allowed just five hits, one walk, and one run with seven strikeouts.

For Walsh, Kelsey Ford (6-15) started and lasted just 1.2 innings as she surrendered seven hits and six runs to take the loss. Katherine Cannell worked the final 2.1 innings and gave up four hits, two walks, and three runs (two earned) with one strikeout.

Offensively, Murphy led MVNU by going 3-for-3 with a double, triple, home run, three runs scored, and three RBI. Shaw, Wallace, and junior outfielder Leslie Banichar also added two hits apiece. Meanwhile, Kreiling collected two of Walsh’s five hits.

With the win, the Lady Cougars advanced to the winner’s bracket semifinals against No. 1 seed and host Notre Dame in what would turn out to be a pitchers’ duel between White and the Falcons’ Tara Meyer (15-3).

MVNU broke through first and plated a run in the top of the third inning for a 1-0 lead when junior first baseman Michelle Gastin (right) lined a two-out, RBI-double to left center to score Clay who had singled.

Notre Dame knotted the score at 1-1in the bottom of the fifth inning when Mallory Harder ripped an RBI-double to right center with two outs to plate Anna Ball, who had reached with a one-out single.

The score remained tied at 1-1 until the bottom of the seventh inning. With one out, Ball doubled, Candace Shofar reached on an infield single, and Harder walked to load the bases. Then, Jillian Gigliotti hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to plate pinch runner Nicole Spehar with the winning run as the Falcons prevailed 2-1.

White suffered the loss for the Lady Cougars as she gave up nine hits, one walk, and two runs over 6.2 innings with four strikeouts. Meanwhile, Meyer was the winning pitcher as she allowed just five hits, two walks, and one run over seven innings with two strikeouts.

Gastin’s double was the lone extra base hit of the game for MVNU, while Ball went 3-for-3 to pace Notre Dame with Harder also adding a pair of hits.

The Lady Cougars will return to action on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. when MVNU will square off with Walsh once again in a loser’s bracket game this time. The Lady Cavaliers stayed alive by eliminating No. 3 seed University of Rio Grande 6-1 on Wednesday. The winner of the MVNU-Walsh game will advance to face the loser of the winner’s bracket championship game between Notre Dame and No. 2 seed Ohio Dominican University, which defeated Rio Grande 2-1 in 10 innings on Wednesday.