McMINNVILLE, Ore. – The Linfield Wildcats are heading to the NCAA Division III World Series for a second consecutive season and eighth time in program history.
 
Rebounding from a disappointing loss on Thursday, top-ranked Linfield responded with two emphatic victories over Central College (Iowa) to clinch the McMinnville Super Regional Friday afternoon at Del Smith Stadium.
 
The Wildcats blanked the visiting Dutch 11-0 in Friday's first game, then continued their scoring spree with a 13-1 title-clinching win in Game 2. Co-champion of the American Rivers Conference, Central ended its season at 33-13.
 
Linfield (48-1) advances to the Division III World Series starting Thursday at Marshall, Texas. Pairings and game times for the championship finals will be announced later by the NCAA.
 
Brynn Nelson, who went 6 for 8 at the plate with a double and two home runs on Friday, was named the Super Regional's Most Outstanding Player. Tayah Kelley, who pitched all but one out of the tournament, was honored as the Super Regional's Most Outstanding Pitcher. On Friday, Kelley held the Dutch without a run across 9 2/3 innings, holding them to four hits.
 
GAME 1: Linfield 11, Central 0, 5 innings
Nelson's two-run homer on the game's third at-bat set the tone early for the Wildcats, who returned to their offensive and defensive form after taking just their second loss of the season in Thursday's series opener.
 
Nelson finished 4 for 4 at the plate with four RBIs and two runs scored.
 
Claire Seats homered and drove in four runs and Cydney Hess scored three times to carry the 'Cats to the lopsided result.
 
Hess drew a walk in the top of the first inning before Nelson launched the ball deep over the left-field wall, her 13th long ball of the season, giving the Wildcats a quick 2-0 lead.
 
With two outs in the third, Tiani Wayton drew a bases-loaded walk, forcing Hess home from third base and extending the Linfield lead to 3-0.
 
Linfield put the game out of reach in the fourth, ringing up five runs to take a commanding 8-0 lead. Kaili Saathoff and Nelson laced RBI singles, sending reliver Sydni Huisman to the bench. Huisman's replacement, Morgan Schaben promptly gave up a three-run homer to Seats, her 14th bases-clearing bash of the season.
 
The fifth inning saw the Wildcats send three more runs across home plate, pushing the final score to 11-0.
 
A day after throwing 196 pitches in an 11-inning loss to the Dutch, Wildcats All-America pitcher Tayah Kelley returned to the circle, handcuffing Central to just a one hit, that being a single by Rylee Dunkin in the fourth. Kelley struck out five and walked one.
 
Central cycled through four pitchers in the contest. Emma Beck, the starter, took the loss to fall to 17-6.
 
GAME 2: Linfield 13, Central 1, 5 innings
Kelley pitched her second win of the day in the circle with a two-hitter in the deciding game, and the Linfield offense piled up 11 hits in the championship-clinching game.
 
Linfield pounced on Beck for three runs before the game's first out was recorded. Hess inflicted the initial harm with a run-scoring double, then Nelson drilled a two-run homer just beyond the left-field wall.
 
Linfield opened the floodgates with six runs in the second inning. Ashley Sutton drilled her third home run of the season to start things off and Nelson added an RBI single. Leyvas followed minutes later with a run-scoring double, and Wayton and Burke added RBIs for a 9-0 Linfeld advantage.
 
Sutton blasted her second homer of the game in the third, putting the game completely out of reach.
 
Linfield outhit Central 15-5. Nelson had two hits and drove in three runs, Sutton hit two homers plus a bunt single, and Wayton went 3 for 3, scored twice and drove in a pair of runs.
 
Kelley raised her season record to 30-2.
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