Linfield University Athletics

McMINNVILLE, Ore. – The Linfield Wildcats are headed to the NCAA Championship Finals for the fourth straight season.
 
Linfield jumped to a 6-0 advantage on Moravian (Pa.) in Game 2 of the NCAA Division III Super Regional Friday afternoon and looked to be on their way to a fourth consecutive run-rule victory in the NCAA playoffs. But the Greyhoulds staged a furious in the fourth inning to pull to within one run, 6-5, before the Wildcats ultimately prevailed 9-5 in front of a packed house at Del Smith Stadium.
 
Linfield (42-6) advances to the eight-team NCAA Championship Finals for fourth straight season and 10th time overall. The Wildcats play Redlands in the opening round of the double-elimination tournament in Salem, Virginia, on Thursday, May 28, at 1:30 p.m. EDT (10:30 a.m. PDT).
 
Since back-to-back defeats April 19 at NWC rival Pacific Lutheran, the Wildcats have reeled off 12 straight wins, a run that includes four consecutive run-rule shortened victories in the NCAA postseason.
 
Wildcats leadoff hitter Breanna Bartek was named the Super Regional's Most Outstanding Player and Tyler McNeley was presented the Most Outstanding Pitcher award after leading Linfield to back-to-back wins over Moravian, champions of the Landmark Conference and Bethlehem (Pa.) Regional. The Greyhounds ended their season at 35-12.
 
McNeley held the Greyhounds without a hit over the first three innings before the Moravian bats awoke for six hits and five runs in the fourth inning. McNeley yielded 11 hits in the game while striking out four batters and walking one. She improved to 27-4 for the season.
 
Bartek went 3 for 4 on Friday and 6 for 8 at the plate in the tournament. Ashlyn Aven drove in four runs, with a double and a two-run homer in the first inning that staked Linfield to a quick 2-0 advantage. Fellow senior Cydney Hess added a pair of hits and scored twice to fuel a 14-hit Wildcats attack.
 
Kaia Young contributed three hits and a pair of stolen bases in her four trips to the plate for the 'Cats, and Lexiss Antle drove in three runs, going 2 for 4 from the No. 9 position in the lineup.
 
Aven's four RBIs moved the senior catcher up to No. 2 on Linfield's single-season RBI list. Her 88 RBIs trail only Hall of Famer and former Wildcats All-American Emilee Lepp's 94.
 
Shayla Morgan, Kyra Holtje and Kaley Hoffman each had two hits for Moravian. Hoffman's three-run homer in the fourth inning pulled the Greyhounds to within one run 6-5, before the Wildcats put the finishing touches on the victory with Aven's sacrifice RBI in the sixth to score Meara Sain and Antle's two-run single to right field in the seventh, giving Linfield a three-run cushion.
 
Holtje, the Moravian starter, took the loss to fall to 12-4.
 
Linfield is expected to travel Tuesday to Virginia before practicing on Wednesday. First-round play begins Thursday with four games.
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