ROCKFORD, Mich. – On Friday afternoon, the Davenport softball team faced off against UM-Dearborn for the second consecutive day, except the Panthers just needed one win on Friday to clinch their third straight Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. Davenport used four homeruns, including two by Lindsay Tasma, to defeat UM-Dearborn, 7-6, to win the WHAC Championship. The Panthers have now clinched an automatic berth to the NAIA National Championship – Opening Round, where DU will be placed into one of ten opening round brackets, starting on May 11th.
 
Davenport was able to win their third straight WHAC Tournament Championship and clinch their third straight automatic berth to the NAIA National Championship – Opening Round. The win over UM-Dearborn was also the 40th win on the year for the Panthers, which is the second time in program history, with a 40-win season.
 
In the second straight meeting between Davenport and UM-Dearborn, the Wolverines were able to get on the board first in the top of the first inning, after Emily Maves hit a batter with the bases loaded to bring one run in and walked the next batter to give the Wolverines a 2-0 lead.
 
The Panthers came right back in the home half of the first inning as Alyssa Eastman hit a three-run homerun to left field to give Davenport a 3-2 lead. The homeruns continued to keep Davenport ahead as Karli Myers hit a solo shot to center in the second inning and Lindsay Tasma hit her first homerun of the game to left field to as DU took a 5-2 lead after three innings.
 
In the fourth inning, UM-Dearborn was finally able to get their bats going again, as Jessie Thueme hit a three-run homerun of her own to tie the game 5-5, and Mackenzie Trowbridge was able to give the Wolverines the lead with a double out to right field, which drove in one run. Kayla Goodwin (8-7) was able to hold the Panthers scoreless in the fourth inning, as the Wolverines clinged to a 6-5 lead after four innings.
 
The Davenport bats woke up again in the fifth inning, as Tasma hit her second solo homerun of the game to tie the game at six, and Lauren Groendyk hit, what would be the game winning single down the left field line to score Sam Merren, who was pinch-running for Carli SanMillan, who doubled early in the inning.
 
Maves (24-4), was able to shut the door on the Wolverines in the sixth and seventh inning to seal the, 7-6, win for the Panthers. Maves allowed the six runs on six hits, but struck out ten batters in the game to tie the school record for most wins in a season (24), which was set in 2013 by Sam Cole.
 
Davenport will now gear up for the NAIA National Championship – Opening Round, which is set to being on May 11th, and the Panthers will wait and see, which opening round bracket they will be placed into.
 
Softball Contact: Rick Hoskin | 616-871-6180 | rhoskin@davenport.edu
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