Softball

Southern Indiana Wins 2018 NCAA Softball Title

• Tournament Central
• Bracket 
• Box Scores: Game 1 | Game 2

SALEM, Va. -- Southern Indiana won the 2018 NCAA Division II Softball Championship on Monday with a pair of wins over Saint Anselm at the James I. Moyer Complex. The Screaming Eagles defeated the Hawks 4-0 in game one, and then scored seven runs in the second inning on its way to an 8-3 win in game two to claim the national championship.

The championship was the fourth in school history at Southern Indiana but the first in a women's sport. USI's 23 losses were the most by a national champion since 1989. Southern Indiana finished the season with a record of 41-23. 

Caitlyn Bradley's three-run home run in the third inning was all the scoring USI would need in game one behind strong pitching. Jennifer Leonhardt, the Most Outstanding Player at the tournament, pitched five scoreless innings giving up just one hit to help the Screaming Eagles to a win in game one. She turned things over to Haylee Smith who had two scoreless innings to complete the shutout. Caire Johnson also had a hit, a run and an RBI in the victory. 

Southern Indiana eliminated much of the drama in game two by scoring seven, two-out runs on seven hits in the second inning to take control of the game. Johnson had an RBI single and Bradley roped a double to left center to help spark the offense in the inning. A solo home run from Johnson in the third provided more than enough for Leonhardt. Saint Anselm was able to score a run in the fourth on a Maggie Murphy double and get two more in the fifth on Amanda Bickford's RBI double, but Leonhardt set down the final seven batters in order to claim the championship.

Johnson finished game two 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs, and Leonhardt was also 2-for-4 at the plate with a run and an RBI. Bradley drove in two going 2-for-3, and Allison Schubert also had two hits. Leonhardt's pitching line was three runs on four hits with five striekouts and a walk in 7.0 innings of work.

Bickford was 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored for Saint Anselm. Murphy and Lauren Washburn also had hits for the Hawks who finished the seasm with a record of 44-13-1.